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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23883895">15 Year Love Story</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamlitexSproutling/pseuds/DreamlitexSproutling'>DreamlitexSproutling</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Vocaloid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Family, Family Bond, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, Growing Up, Love Story, Missing Mom, Other, from toddler to teenager</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:14:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,599</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23883895</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamlitexSproutling/pseuds/DreamlitexSproutling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For 15 Years, Gumi grows up and sees her father, Yuuma, write letters and love poems to her missing mother, Miku, while Len, Gumi's uncle and Miku's little brother, develops a relationship with Rin. Inspired by 'A Clingy Boy Sticking for 15 Years'</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatsune Miku / Yuuma, Kagamine Len/Kagamine Rin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>29</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The First Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Direct copy+paste from my FF upload because I'm lazy: Hi! It's been way too long since I last published anything. I spent most of this month figuring out what stories I want to start writing while also revising a plotline for my other fic, 'Devil of the Classroom,' so I can prepare reposting it online. I officially decided to redo DoTC while also posting a much shorter fic, which is this one! I had this fic idea for a long while, and it's inspired by the vocaloid song "A Clingy Boy Sticking for 15 Years" by Manbo-P. It has also been a long time since I have been writing properly, so please, feel free to leave feedback or point out any errors I've made.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hello… Miku, it’s me, Yuuma.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I hope this letter reaches you. It’s so hot, yet our daughter wanted to go outside and play, so your brother took her out.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Len has been spending a lot of time with us since you went away. I think because you suddenly left, he felt he should be there for her, our child. He doesn’t have to, since he’s now in his first year of high school, yet he insists. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Your parents still don’t like me, but they can’t cut me off now, since all they have left of you is in our little girl.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Gumi might be talking soon! I wished you were here to see her grow and learn. Her hair is growing as well. I had tied it up into little pigtails, hoping she’d look a bit more like you. I wished she looked more like you instead of me.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>…</i>
</p>
<p><i>Please read my message. I’ll continue to write my poems as well, hoping they will reach you too.</i><br/><br/>xxx </p>
<p>A summer breeze tickled her cheeks, and her hair danced as much as it could with the wind. Little Gumi sat quietly, her toy rabbit held in her arms as she gazed up at the sky, watching the birds soar above her. </p>
<p>“Fly! Fly!” Her voice babbled out.</p>
<p>“Yes, they’re flying,” said the tall boy who sat besides her. His blonde hair tied up sloppily and dressed in only a white t-shirt and shorts, Len held a GameBoy, turning on a farming game to relax for a bit after having chased his niece around the park. By now, Gumi had calmed down, and all she wanted to do was sit and stare at the sky, which gave Len the chance to develop his farm.</p>
<p>“Ren,” Gumi said without a care, turning to the boy, “Ren! Ren!”</p>
<p>“Gumi,” he sighed. “Only your dad can call me Len,” he began to explain to the child. “You need to call me Uncle,” he explained while hoping no one was near them. His classmates know nothing about his personal life, and he planned to keep it that way for as long as he possibly can.</p>
<p>“Ahncle,” she tried to say. “Ahncle, Ahncle.”</p>
<p>“Yes, Gumi.”</p>
<p>“Up! Up!” She said, dropping her bunny as she extended her arms to the air.</p>
<p>“Alright,” he sighed with a small smile forming. He stood up, placing his game gently, and he bend down to pick up the little girl, raising her up towards the sky. When her giggles reached his ears, Len wished his sister was present for this moment.</p>
<p>“Len?” </p>
<p>Hearing a familiar voice, Len turned to see her, a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, much like him. Her hair was decorated with white pins and a white bow, while she wore blue shorts and a frilly orange top. </p>
<p>“Hi!” Gumi waved to her, happy to see a new face.</p>
<p>“She’s so cute,” the girl said, her attention focusing towards the toddler. “Is this your sister.”</p>
<p>“Well,” Len laughed a bit, realizing he had no choice but to explain. “She’s my niece, Rin.”</p>
<p>“Niece?” Although a bit startled, Rin continued to speak. “I didn’t know you have an older sibling.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he answered. “I play with her all the time.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Rin smiled. “Is it okay if I played with her too?”</p>
<p>He didn’t expect it. A friend from high school wanted to play with his most greatest joy, and he couldn’t refuse either. He placed Gumi down and pushed her gently towards Rin. Gumi glanced up with a smile on her face.</p>
<p>“Hello!” Rin said happily.</p>
<p>“Hi!” Gumi said happily, again.</p>
<p>“She’s still learning to talk,” said Len, and he knelt down, beginning to speak by Gumi’s ear. “Call her ‘Onee-chan.’”</p>
<p>“Oe-tan?” Gumi tried to repeat. “Oe-tan! Oe-tan!”</p>
<p>“She’s so cute!” Rin said with her smile growing larger. “How come you didn’t mention her.”</p>
<p>“I rather keep my family life private,” he answered honestly, and it was true. After the pain he endured a year before, he wasn’t eager to open up again and talk about it. </p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>“We’re home!” Len yelled to the hallways, loud enough for Yuuma to hear. </p>
<p>“Papa! Papa!” Gumi cried out in glee, running as soon as Len pulled her shoes off, and with her rabbit doll trapped in her arms, she looked for Yuuma. “Papa!” She said again and again until he came towards her and held her in his arms. </p>
<p>“Did you have fun today, Gumi?”</p>
<p>“Oe-tan!” She said. “Oe-tan played!”</p>
<p>“Oe-tan?”</p>
<p>“She’s trying to say ‘onee-chan.” Len explained. “I bumped into a classmate and Gumi really liked her.</p>
<p>“Oh, it’s a girl classmate,” Yuuma said with a smile. “Was it fun to play with her?” Gumi only smiled more, which he took as an answer. </p>
<p>“What have you been doing while I was out?” Len asked while Yuuma returned Gumi to the floor.</p>
<p>“Just.. been writing,” he answered.</p>
<p>“Writing? Again?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“... Okay.”</p>
<p>Len wasn’t going to go tell Yuuma what to do, since Yuuma still took care of his home, paid his bills and worked diligently, but after that day, all he would do is write. Len worried, but he decided a long time ago to not say anything, under the excuse of “if it’s his way of coping.”</p>
<p>“Papa,” Gumi said quietly, having ran off only to return, holding an envelope in her hand. </p>
<p>“Oh,” Yuuma knelt down,  and he gently took the envelope. “This is Papa’s work,” he explained. “Don’t touch Papa’s work, okay?”</p>
<p>“... Okay,” Gumi said, her smile growing again while seemingly understanding.</p>
<p>“You’re so smart,” he said softly. “I wished she was here to see you grow…”</p>
<p>‘Me too,’ Len thought in his head, ‘I wished Miku was here too.’</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Second Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hello, Miku.</i>
</p><p>Did you get my last letter?</p><p>It’s August again, so Len comes by every morning, and sometimes, he’ll bring his homework too. He’s the only one in your family to actively come just for our daughter. Your parents take care of Gumi while I head off to work, but your sisters don’t seem to bother visiting or writing letters or postcards.</p><p>Not that it really matters, all Gumi needs is me. Her hair is growing longer, and she can speak in full sentences now. Every day, she takes the poems I write for you and throws them in our yard. She thinks it’ll come to you faster if she throws them. I do want you to see them too. At least let Gumi know you’re there still. </p><p>She still doesn’t know who you are…</p><p>xxx</p><p>“Papa! Papa!” Gumi’s voice spoke to him. “Oi-tan is taking me to the big city, says we’ll be buying new toys and eating aice cream!”</p><p>“I see,” Yuuma replied. His brush continued to untangle her green hair. In a year, it had reached her shoulders, which made him happy as it means she can look a little more like Miku when her hair is up in pigtails. “You’ll behave and listen to him, okay?”</p><p>“What are you going to do, Papa?” She asked, seemingly ignoring his comment. “Are you done tying my hair.”</p><p>“Almost,” he replied, grabbing her hair and beginning to tie it with a bunny scrunchie. “I’m going to write.”</p><p>“And you won’t cover your papers with your spit?” She asked, and he couldn’t keep himself from laughing.</p><p>“I’ll be careful this time,” he said. Until she began to throw his papers out in the yard, Yuuma had been reckless when he placed his poems in envelopes, coating them with his saliva whenever he placed stamps on them. He didn’t notice until Gumi began to speak more clearly, perhaps nearly too perfectly for a child her age.</p><p>The bell rang, noting Len’s arrival, and Yuuma sat up while Gumi ran towards the door, as fast as her little legs could take her. </p><p>“Oi-tan! Oi-tan!” She bounced up, her face growing with joy as her uncle arrived to take her to a world of fun. “I wanna take Megu,” she said, running back to her room to grab her rabbit doll before the men could say anything.</p><p>“You really want to stay home?” Len asked. For two years, Yuuma barely left the house unless it was for work, leaving the high school aged boy worried. It was draining enough to constantly remind him to not forget to visit Len’s parents on the holidays, and for a few weeks, Len worried that Yuuma may forget to enroll Gumi to kindergarten for the next spring. </p><p>“Yeah,” Yuuma answered. “I want to keep writing.”</p><p>“At least make sure to eat,” Len told him. “Sometimes, Gumi complains that you don’t eat with her.”</p><p>“She says a lot of things,” Yuuma smiled. “Here’s a bag,” he said, handing it to him, “for what Gumi needs.” Accepting it, Len browsed through it briefly, sighing a bit with a smile.</p><p>“Are you even teaching her to use the toilet?”</p><p>“Well…”</p><p>His time to answer was cut short as small footsteps came closer. In front of the two men, a small child ceased her running, holding her toy rabbit in her arms as she looked up at them with her large green eyes. </p><p>“Are you ready, Gumi?” asked Len, and the child nodded, eager to leave. </p><p>“Have fun, Gumi,” Yuuma said, witnessing his growing little girl departing with her uncle. Closing the door behind him, he headed to his kitchen, turning on the stove as he placed whatever leftover meal was left on the pot. He didn’t know what he was doing, nor did he really care. He did it only to prevent a scolding from Len or Gumi over his lack of self care. With his meal warming up, Yuuma returned to his office, grabbing his pen as he wrote the next poem to her.</p><p>“My dear Miku,” he whispered, concentrating as her smile, her long hair, and delicate voice returned to his memory. “Will you return to me one day?” This thoughts deeply consuming him, his hand led the pencil on the paper, never noticing his house alarm desperately alerting him of danger…</p><p>xxx </p><p>The summer breeze smacked his cheeks, the sun’s rays warmed him and the child behind him, and Len rode down, the hill accelerating his speed. Gumi’s cheers and joy were the reason he continued to work hard for his future. If Miku couldn’t be there, and if his remaining sisters couldn’t be bothered, then he would do it himself. He would watch and help Gumi grow to her adulthood. He would help Yuuma in every way possible, as long as it would benefit Gumi in the long run.</p><p>As he entered the city, he rode inwards, while sitting behind him on the bike, Gumi stared at the scenery in amazement. It was not often when she, a little girl, would go to the city downtown from her home, so each rare visit felt as though it was her time visit. </p><p>“It’s so big!” She cheered.</p><p>“Doesn’t your father take you down here?” He asked, loud enough for her to hear.</p><p>“No! He just takes me to gramma and granpa’s home.”</p><p>Before long, he reached a parking spot suitable for his bike, and he placed it, getting off the bike and attaching a lock to it. He unbuckled Gumi, placing her down and holding her palm, guiding her to what she believed was the largest building.</p><p>“It’s huge! It’s huge!” She cried out. Inside, the building was loaded with people of all kinds, and the look on her face made Len glad he brought her, giving her the first experience of being in a mall. </p><p>“I’m going to stop by a store to buy something for myself, okay?” He told her. “Stay close to me no matter what.”</p><p>“Okay,” she replied and she was taken to an area, one that confused her yet entertained her. For passing minutes, Len looked around for items he desired while Gumi spun around, admiring everything around her, to a point where for a second, she released his hand and walked on her own. With her attention deeply focused on the shelves and items placed on top, she didn’t notice the girl in front of her before it was too late.</p><p>“Oh!” Gumi snapped back to reality, noticing the tall girl in front. “I’m sowwy!” </p><p>“Oh,” she looked down. “Gumi! You’re Len’s niece! Do you remember me?”</p><p>Gumi looked up, noticing the girl had hair and eyes that were both the same color as Len’s, and a white giant bow was placed on her head. Gumi shook her head, unable to remember their first meeting from a year prior. </p><p>“It’s been about a year since I last saw you,” the girl smiled. “So of course you don’t remember. I’m a friend of your Uncle Len.”</p><p>“A friend of Oi-tan?”</p><p>“Oh… Rin?”</p><p>Len had looked around, noticing Gumi had gone off, and when he had turned to a corner, not once did he expect to meet his friend in the store.</p><p>xxx</p><p>After that day when Rin first met Gumi, Len began a friendship with her. Slow at first, he eventually warmed up to the cheerful girl, and Rin desired to learn more about him, as well as to know more about Gumi.</p><p>“Do you spend a lot of time with Gumi?” Rin once asked when they were together at school, during a lunch break where Rin insisted she sat with him. </p><p>“Yeah,” he answered. “Almost every day, I stop by her home to see her. Sometimes she’s in my home too since my parents take care of her during the day.”</p><p>“I see.”</p><p>Len didn’t often share his personal life to Rin, and sometimes, it was for a good reason.</p><p>“Wait, your sister… it’s her!?”</p><p>Last spring, Rin and Len walked out of school tomorrow and they past by a poster of a girl with long blonde hair tied in ribbons. She wore ribbons all over her outfit and her smile was infectious. She was known to the country as Lily, a popular teen idol, member of a large idol group yet she had her own solo career.</p><p>“Yeah, though I like to not talk about that much,” Len sighed. “When she debuted, my classmates in middle school were desperate to be around me, thinking I can let them into concerts for free. It doesn’t even work like that…”</p><p>“I see,” Rin giggled and Len had glanced at the image once more. It was hard to tell if Lily didn’t contact him or his parents because of her contract, as Len learned Lily was forced to break up with her boyfriend for her career, as well as he found out Lily was constantly looked after by her agents. At the same time, he wondered if she was intentionally keeping distance, much like his other older sister, Chika, who refused to return to their home after that day two years ago. </p><p>With his sisters absent, Len realized that he needed to be the one to look after Gumi, even though at the time he made himself involved in her life, he was applying for high schools and focusing on finding a path for his future. </p><p>“Oi-tan, it’s yummy,” Gumi cried out, happily eating the pudding she was given. He decided to stop at a cafe in the mall, and Rin joined them.</p><p>“She’s talking a lot now,” Rin commented. “How old are you?” She asked her.</p><p>“Two,” said Gumi, whose mind was set on devouring her pudding. </p><p>“Your hair is long too,” Rin said next. “Who puts your hair up in pigtails?”</p><p>“Papa!” Gumi answered. “Papa brushes my hair.”</p><p>“Really?” Rin had expected Gumi’s mother to do that task, so it surprised her a little to learn that Gumi’s hair was managed by her father. At this point, despite knowing plenty about Len being related to Lily, she didn’t know much else about Len’s family members and which of Gumi’s parents was Len’s older sibling.</p><p>“Papa writes a lot,” Gumi began to babble on while beating her pudding with the spoon in her hand. “Papa writes and puts spit in his letters.”</p><p>Rin and Len couldn’t keep themselves from giggling as they listened to Gumi’s ramblings over Yuuma. </p><p>“Gumi, what is your Papa’s job?” Len asked her, curious to see her responds, and Rin was eager to hear as well.</p><p>“Writes letters to Miku-tan.”</p><p>“Miku… tan?” Rin asked, unsure who “Miku” was while Len’s breath stopped quietly. He didn’t realize it until Gumi said it. He knew Yuuma wrote his thoughts out every day as a way of coping over what happened in the past but as he thought about it, Len realized how much it made sense. </p><p>Yuuma wanted to see Miku, and so did Len. </p><p>Len’s ringtone brought him back to reality. His fingers grabbed the phone from his pockets, and he flipped it over, answering the call.</p><p>“Mother? What is it… what!?” Rin and Gumi looked towards him, wondering what occurred that made Len freak out. “Okay, I’m coming.” He stood up abruptly. “Gumi, we gotta go. We need to see if your Papa is okay,” he said in a rush, and Rin noticed him desperately trying to get a waiter to come.</p><p>“Len, what happened?” Rin wondered, and Len realized she was still present. </p><p>“I need to check on something very important,” he explained, and when he went to grab her, Gumi smacked his arms.</p><p>“I wanna finish eating,” she cried.</p><p>“Gumi, please!” he sighed. He needed to check on Yuuma, but Gumi wanted to eat. </p><p>“If you need to go, I can take care of Gumi,” Rin spoke up. “I can take her home too.” Before Len could respond, Gumi spoke up.</p><p>“I wanna stay with Nee-chan.”</p><p>“Really…” Len sighed in defeat. “I’ll write down my address. Just take her there when you’re done, okay?” He told her, and Rin nodded. “I’ll pay you back.” Not waiting for Rin’s response, Len ran off, running as fast as he can to his bike so he can reach Yuuma’s home.</p><p>xxx </p><p>By the time Len arrived, his shirt was left drenched in sweat as the water attacked the last of the heating flames to nonexistence. The smoke died down, and the people whispered, curiosity and worry overwhelming them, and the sighs came out in forms of relief when a man stepped out. Len rushed towards him, crying out to him.</p><p>“Yuuma!? Are you okay?”</p><p>“... I didn’t even know there was a fire..”</p><p>“WHAT!?!?”</p><p>Len couldn’t believe it. Yuuma didn’t notice his home slowly burning away? He didn’t see the smoke or hear the alarm?</p><p>“What were you doing!?”</p><p>“I was writing!!”</p><p>“How did this happen!?”</p><p>The people around them started to leave as they were relieved to know no one was hurt, but Len wanted to know how the fire happened. When the firefighters investigated and came up with a possible solution, Len couldn’t believe it once more. After that day, Len asked Yuuma not to cook anymore.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Any typo in Gumi's speeches is intended to show her way of speaking. Any typo's outside of those areas are by complete accident and I failed to notice them.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Third Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Miku,</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I’m writing to you from your parents’ yard again. The connection seems stable, so I can write clearly on my laptop pad. After a whole year, it seems your parents are still mad at me for letting a fire break out of that house. I guess, if I was it through their eyes, I’d be mad at me too. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Gumi keeps asking when we’d go back to our home. Even when your parents tell her it was eaten by a fire, Gumi wants to go back. She’s so cute, so curious…</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>If only I paid more attention, she’d properly grow up in the house where you and I first had her, but with the problems we had the past few months, we sold the house, so if I can move out, I’ll get an apartment, just for me and Gumi.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>For now, I’ll continue to write my poems in my maxi and those forum sites. Lately, people have been reading them and offering to pay for more. Maybe… </i>
</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>“What is he doing?”</p>
<p>“Writing in that little computer of his.”</p>
<p>“Still? How did he even become a father,” Luka sighed, unable to process in her mind how Yuuma behaved in her home for the past year. “How can he even stand to be out in that heat like this?</p>
<p>“Maybe if you welcomed him more nicely, he wouldn’t feel forced to be out there” Len said without a care. Luka chose to ignore her only son, leading him to tell her, “that attitude of yours is why Chika doesn’t talk to us anymore.” Hearing her name, Luka released another sigh, this time a sigh of sorrow for she knew her son was right.</p>
<p>“Len, just do your homework,” Gakupo scolded him. He and Luka didn’t want to be reminded about Chika, yet even he knew that Len, their youngest child, had a point. He and Luka raised four children, and with how bad life was in the beginning, they were determined to make sure their children would strive to become the best and gain the best career possible. They were parents who wanted their children to be successful and earn money, but they were heavily skeptical on how they wanted their children to be when they became adult.</p>
<p>Lily, their third daughter, running away and becoming an idol? They were unhappy, to the point where they refused to show any support for her.</p>
<p>Chika, their second daughter, wanting to become a fashion designer? Many fights broke out, some so destructive that Len would walk out of the house. Eventually, Chika left after college, never returning to the house. </p>
<p>Miku, their eldest child, eloping with the man they forbade her from seeing? They disowned her. They refused to see her or acknowledge her… only to deeply regret their decision when that day happened. Only then did they realize too late how much damage they had done, but it was too late, and since then, it felt as though Len was their only child left.</p>
<p>“Gramma, gramma” her voice brought her back to reality, and Luka looked at her, the child who helped her reflect on her life. “Are you crying?”</p>
<p>Len looked up, and he saw his mother wipe her face gently.</p>
<p>“No,” she said.</p>
<p>“Where’s Papa?”</p>
<p>“Outside.”</p>
<p>“Why is he outside again?”</p>
<p>She didn’t wait for Luka to answer. Gumi walked on, opening the door leading to the backyard.</p>
<p>“Gumi, did you read?” Luka called out.</p>
<p>“I’m done, read it all,” was all Gumi said before she walked out, and Luka watched as the little girl ran towards the man who remained focused on his laptop.</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>“Did you apply for a college yet?” Rin asked. She sometimes came to his home, claiming it’s to study with him, and he brought her to the family room. Gakupo and Luka didn’t trust them to be in Len’s room by themselves, they had no choice but to risk having their conversations heard. </p>
<p>“Yeah, been applying everywhere,” he sighed. “Though I feel I don’t want to go too far away, for my parents and all.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Rin asked “Because your sisters are absent and you don’t want to feel like you’re abandoning them?”</p>
<p>“Yeah…”</p>
<p>After the fire that broke out, it became common for Rin to visit Len at his home. At first, Rin expressed her concern after the flames misplaced little Gumi and her Papa. Overtime, she kept coming, and it was clear to Len’s parents that Rin was becoming a new member of the family.</p>
<p>“Onee-tan is here!”</p>
<p>Gumi’s growing legs brought her towards the two older teens, and her green eyes twinkled as she saw the girl. A positive to Rin coming often was Gumi growing more familiar with her. Every visit was a day of adventure, through the eyes of the child.</p>
<p>“Are you doing work with Oi-tan?” Gumi asked.</p>
<p>“Yes,” Rin answered. “Len and I are doing work.”</p>
<p>“I was doing work too,” Gumi said. “Everyday I have to read a page. Gramma also helps me with writing.”</p>
<p>“Is it for kindergarten?”</p>
<p>“Yeah!”</p>
<p>“Do you like kindergarten?”</p>
<p>“Yeah!” Gumi cheered. “It’s a lot of fun!”</p>
<p>The cheerfulness of the child created a small grin on Len’s face. His decision to enroll to a school near his home was also so he could stay close to his niece. Anytime her smile and enthusiasm showed, it reminded him of Miku and the energy she created with her attitude. </p>
<p>“Oi-tan, what’s Papa doing?” Gumi asked.</p>
<p>“He’s outside.”</p>
<p>“Why is he outside?”</p>
<p>“Because he likes being outside,” he lied. In reality, the tension of being in the house was too much for him to enjoy, to a point where even after Luka promised to behave better, Yuuma chose to remain outside. Being very young, Gumi didn’t notice anything. After hearing his response, Gumi ran out to see her Papa.</p>
<p>“He’s an interesting man,” Rin commented. “He slept outside in the winter when it was so cold, and now it’s so hot, but he stays outside. What does he do?”</p>
<p>“He writes,” Len answered. “He’s always writing.”</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>For a year, he was outside, taking shelter in a tent he kept up. He was in the house for only two days before he grew wary of the cold-hearted attitude from his in-laws, and as a result, he slept outside. His little girl was kept inside because he knew she would not survive the heat of summer and the frost of winter. Of course, a sleepover once a week was allowed. </p>
<p>Despite being in an unfamiliar home, his life continued. He went to work, and when he came home, he would write on his notes on his little laptop and thus, he began to share his writings on his sites. When Gumi wanted him to play, he stopped to play with her. Life felt the same. Even when Gumi began kindergarten, life went on.</p>
<p>Then for the past few months, Yuuma began to notice the attention his writings were receiving. His poems received praise. His vivid language was admired. People wanted more. Yuuma kept writing, realizing he may have found a way to give himself a new home for him and Gumi.</p>
<p>“Papa, what are you doing?”</p>
<p>“I’m writing,” he told her.</p>
<p>“Again?” Gumi sighed. “Did Mama like your writing too?” Until they moved into the house belonging to Gakupo and Luka, Gumi only knew her as Miku-tan, and she understood that Miku-tan was important to Yuuma. It wasn’t until she said it in front of Gakupo when Gumi truly learned who she was.</p>
<p>“Miku-tan?” Gakupo asked her the first time she said it in front of him.</p>
<p>“Yeah, Papa writes to Miku-tan,” she said to him innocently.</p>
<p>“Don’t call her Miku-tan,” he told her. “Call her Mama.”</p>
<p>“Mama?” Gumi asked. “A female Papa?”</p>
<p>“... yeah,” he began to explain. “A mama and a papa are why you are here, Gumi,” he explained to her. “So call her Mama, please.”</p>
<p>“Where is she?” Gumi asked.</p>
<p>“She…” he had tried to explain, but Gumi’s short attention span got to her that day, when Len had set foot into home, and since then, the topic wasn’t brought up again, but Gumi resumed calling her “Mama.”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Roro answered. “Mama liked my writing too.” When he said it, he remembered how it all went, how he and Miku met and fell in love, and how their adventure unraveled. Every day, he wrote a poem to her, and as time went on, she became the inspiration for every story and haiku he created. He loved her so greatly, admiring the charm she gave.</p>
<p>Gumi’s birth was proof of their love, but he was left to take care of her by himself, and sometimes with help from Len.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Fourth Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Miku, it’s time.</p><p>I’m going to quit my job today. My poems are being published in magazines. My works are being noticed. I’m earning so much more with my writing that I don’t need to keep doing that dead end job again. </p><p>Gumi gets so excited when she sees my writings in the pages, but I don’t think she can read the words properly yet. She is still memorizing the basic writing in her school. I hear from the meetings that Gumi tells her classmates all about my poems. She’s seemingly very happy.</p><p>Oh yes, Miku, with all the money I earned, I was able to find a nice apartment for myself and Gumi… and Len too. It turns out the location is closer to his school, so he asked to move in. I didn’t see why not. Plus, he’s nicer than your parents…</p><p>If only you were here now, to see how much I accomplish… to see how big Gumi is now and how smart she’s becoming, how long her hair grows, and how pretty she’s been. She’s looking much more like you. </p><p>xxx</p><p>“Where are we going?” Gumi asked her uncle. She sat behind him as he led the way, taking their bike deeper into the city.</p><p>“We’re having a fun event in my school,” Len answered.</p><p>“Fun? Like candy and games?”</p><p>“Yes, lots of candy and lots of games.”</p><p>Her cheers in response warmed his heart, as he knew that once again, he did something right for his young niece who sat behind. The summer heat couldn’t ruin their mood. The streets were crowded, but Len wouldn’t let that stop him from reaching his campus, to his school where he was aiming for a higher education.</p><p>“Will onee-chan be there?” Gumi asked, and he knew she was talking about Rin.</p><p>“Yes!”</p><p>“I like her.”</p><p>“I like her too,” he said it casually, though if he was to be honest, he couldn’t stop thinking of Rin. It had been four years, he realized, since he developed a friendship with her, and it was all because she came and stumbled upon him looking after his little niece, who since then had grown bigger and bigger. After that meeting, he and Rin had casual conversations, and when the time kept going and when the flames ate Gumi’s home, Len found himself spending more and more time with Rin.</p><p>Luka and Gakupo made comments, wondering what would come for the two teens. At first, Len didn’t understand. He and Rin were friends and nothing more. They met together just to study and on occasion, look after Gumi when the adults were out and Yuuma was overconsumed by his newfound career. It was only when high school was near its end when Len began to understand what his parents meant. At first, he’d just think of Rin a lot, and then expressed worries, and he made food for her almost every day. It was all just because he wanted to and when he saw her face, he felt he was at his happiest. </p><p>Suddenly, Rin was important to him, a different kind of importance compared to Gumi. His niece was important in a sense where Len would do anything to protect her, but Rin was someone he desired to see every day when possible. He needed to hear her voice. He needed to make sure she was healthy and happy. Her smile made him feel he could do anything.</p><p>At last, he arrived at his school and he took Gumi off his bike after parking briefly. The small child held his hand as he guided her to the crowded area, telling her to stay close no matter what. As they walked forward, Gumi stared at all of her surroundings, her green eyes sparkling as she took in every sight possible. As if she was entering a new world, she was eager to try everything that was available to her. </p><p>“Can we play, uncle?” Gumi asked, and the energy couldn’t be more vibrant and lively in her tone. </p><p>“I need to reach my group’s station first,” he told her. “Then we’ll go see what we can do for fun.” He led her through the crowd, reaching a stall where his partners resided, and they were pleased to meet the four year old child for the first time. Charmed by her cuteness and her good manners, Len’s friends treated her with the sweets they carried, thus spoiling her for a bit, but Len didn’t seem to mind. Then again, he wasn’t her parent.</p><p>“Len, you’re here.” Her voice attracted him quickly, and turning around, his eyes met hers. “And you brought Gumi too,” Rin said. “She looks very happy.”</p><p>“Yeah, she’s very excited,” Len told her while trying to keep his feelings hidden, trying to not appear to be too excited to see Rin. “She can’t wait to play.”</p><p>“Let’s go then,” Rin said. “Let’s go, the three of us.”</p><p>“You want to come too?”</p><p>“Onee-chan!” Gumi turned and she noticed the tall woman. “Let’s play together!” She said while hugging her tightly.</p><p>“Yes, we’ll play,” Rin smiled, and Len couldn’t stop his grin from growing bigger. Every time, Rin would play with Gumi and look after her, and it was enough to make Len happy, to know she was willing to help look out for her as well. “Your pigtails are so cute too.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Gumi smiled. “Papa put them up himself!”</p><p>“I see. Are you going to your new home tomorrow?”</p><p>“Yeah!”</p><p>“Did you see it yet?”</p><p>“No,” Gumi shook her head. “It’s a surprise.” The two converse more and more while Len glanced at the two girls, the two most important ladies in his life: one being his innocent niece, and the other being his closest friend for four years. </p><p>xxx </p><p>“Okay, we’re here!”</p><p>“Wow!”</p><p>Taking her first steps into the vacant apartment, Gumi wasted no time in running into the unfamiliar area, growing more amazed and excited to see her new home.</p><p>“Papa! I can see all the cars from up here!!” She yelled after taking a step towards the balcony.</p><p>“I think she likes this already,” said Len.</p><p>“Good,” Yuuma sighed. “It’d be bad if she didn’t, though she seems to like everything and anything.”</p><p>“She got that trait from Miku,” Len added without a second thought.</p><p>“Yeah,” Yuuma replied. “I’m glad at least some parts of Miku are in her.”</p><p>“Papa!!” Gumi ran back towards the two grown men. “Papa, are you done working?”</p><p>“Yes,” he said while picking up his little girl. “I’ll be home all the time, but I need to write in private.”</p><p>“So when I come home, you’ll be here?” Gumi asked.</p><p>“I’m going to pick you up from school from now on.”</p><p>“Promise?”</p><p>“Promise.”</p><p>He held her close into his arms, every day loving the child he made with her, and yet he continued to wish for Miku to be there, to see Gumi grow bigger each day.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Fifth Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hello Miku,</i>
</p>
<p>I’m so tired of the woman giving me those looks whenever I sign their books. I can see they are not seeing me for the poet I am but for how I appear to them. Could the inexperience pansies please leave me be?</p>
<p>I guess I’m taking Gumi to work one day… not because it’ll keep those pansies away, but because Gumi has constantly asked me if she can visit the next fanmeet, just to know what it’s like to be a poet for a day. It’s summer again, so it’s now a good time to take her. Although, Len has expressed his concerns for taking her. </p>
<p>Speaking of him, your brother…  he keeps denying being in a relationship, but it seems he really likes that girl. Does he tell you? Her name is Rin. She’s treated Gumi so well, and Gumi calls Rin her sister in return. I think it’s sweet Gumi has a woman to look up to while you’re absent…</p>
<p>But I think Gumi wants to see you sometime. </p>
<p><i>You know I want to see you very much…</i>

</p><p>xxx</p>
<p>“Gumi, you’re really going to your dad’s fanmeet, huh?”</p>
<p>“Yep,” Gumi answered and Len sighed. Rin smiled meekly, witnessing the two of them converse as they all were together, walking down a trail in a park near their home.</p>
<p>“Okay, well, you need to stay close to your dad, okay?”</p>
<p>“And you’ll take care of sis, right?” Gumi asked him right back. “You said you’ll hang out with her again, right, Sis?” She said, turning her attention towards Rin, and her youthful face looked up to meet caring blue eyes.</p>
<p>“Gumi, please-” Len blushed while Rin giggled. At last, the three came across a bench and they sat down together, needing a break to relax and shade themselves from the scorching sun.</p>
<p>“I really hate summer,” Len sighed, growing more irritated by the heat. </p>
<p>“Do you remember, Len?” Rin asked. “I met Gumi in the summer five years ago. It was also when I began to learn the real you?”</p>
<p>“Real uncle?” Gumi asked. “Is there a fake uncle?”</p>
<p>“Hahaha, no, Gumi,” Rin smiled. “You were a little toddler when I saw you, and I didn’t know your uncle until then,” she explained. “We went to school together, but we didn’t talk much until then.” </p>
<p>“So I made you two become friends?” Gumi asked, and Len smiled, once again hoping Gumi remained this innocent.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Rin smiled, and Gumi, without thinking twice, asked her next question.</p>
<p>“When will you and Uncle become lovers?”</p>
<p>“Gumi!?”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>The two adults looked at the five year child who didn’t notice the atmosphere suddenly shifting from calm and serene to awkward at a rapid pace as she continued to speak without a care.</p>
<p>“Even Papa wonders when Uncle and Sis will become lovers-”</p>
<p>“Gumi!” Len stood up abruptly, deciding immediately to put an end to her nonsense chatter before anymore passerbyers overhear and misunderstand. “Why don’t you go play now?”</p>
<p>“Oh? I thought you wanted me to sit with you?” Gumi asked. </p>
<p>“Go play now! Go, Gumi!!” Len said quickly while his face grow even redder.</p>
<p>“Hm… Okay,” Gumi said with a bright smile, running off to the playground while blissfully unaware of what she had done to her uncle and his friend. Len sat down and sighed, struggling to think of what to say to Rin after everything Gumi said.</p>
<p>“Len?” Rin, after hesitating a bit and feeling her heartbeat growing faster.</p>
<p>“About that-” Len was about to ask, but Rin interrupted.</p>
<p>“Do you like… me?”</p>
<p>“Huh,” Len sighed, unsure what to say next as butterflies grew larger in his chest. “Well…”</p>
<p>“... I like you,” Rin told him quietly. “I really like you.”</p>
<p>“Oh! Well… I like you too…”</p>
<p>The atmosphere between them remained awkward, but slowly, their hands got closer to each other, and soon, their fingers interlaced with one another at the spot where Gumi formerly sat on. The two quietly sat and looked at the energetic child who befriended the other children in the playground, and their smiles grew quietly. At last, they looked at eachother, their eyes staring deeply at one another, and they wouldn’t look away for a long time.</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>A new day came, and Yuuma dressed himself in the most formal way he can: wearing a simple plaid shirt with khakis. Gumi, who stood next to him, had her long green hair in pigtails, tied up with ribbons while she wore a rabbit printed dress. She tugged on his pants while he gathered his books, and she pouted, growing impatient with him.</p>
<p>“Hurry up, papa,” she said in a whining tone.</p>
<p>“I’m getting there,” he chuckled. “I need to make sure I don’t forget anything.” Closing his bag, he began to head out, with Gumi following behind him. Her excitement couldn’t be contained, as she wanted to see what his fanmeets were like…<br/>
…</p>
<p>“Papa, I wanna play,” she whined while tugging onto his shirt.</p>
<p>“You’re bored already?” He asked. He had only been signing his fans’ books for 15 minutes.</p>
<p>“It’s too loud,” she complained as well as she didn’t notice the commotion happening in front of her.</p>
<p>“He has a daughter?”<br/>
“I didn’t know he’s married…”<br/>
“Well, she’s a cute little girl, I guess…”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Yuuma smiled. “Hey, Meiko!” He called to the woman behind him. A woman with short brown hair stood up, coming towards him as Yuuma whispered in her ear. She nodded while coming closer to the child. “Gumi, this is Meiko,” he explained to her. “She’ll take you to a fun place in the building, so listen to her.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” Gumi replied, and she stood from her chair, holding Meiko’s hand tightly as the child was guided out of the arena where the fanmeet took place. </p>
<p>“What do you do?” Gumi began to converse with the lady.</p>
<p>“I help make sure fanmeets are safe,” Meiko answered, immediately growing in awe with the child. The two began conversing as Meiko led the child to what Gumi wanted to call a “flower wonderland.” Flowers grew all over and in a colorful order, and Gumi was quick to run amuck, staring at each plant in a daze. Meiko sat quietly on a bench, often keeping her eyes on Gumi to make sure she wasn’t getting injured while she explored the garden. For a long while, Gumi found joy in the private garden, hidden away from the people who came to meet her father as she created her games with her surroundings. </p>
<p>Meiko looked up when an unfamiliar sound came to her ears, and she turned, noticing two women walking in the private garden. Recognizing them, Meiko stood up, quietly gaining Gumi’s attention.</p>
<p>“Stay here, Gumi, okay?” Meiko called out as she walked towards the two ladies, and Gumi remained in her spot, doing her best to make a flower crown.</p>
<p>“Sora?” Meiko came towards her and then spoke to the other woman. “Lily? What are you two doing here?”</p>
<p>“We needed a break from rehearsing,” Sora giggled. “And you know I love this place.”</p>
<p>“It’s so quiet, and the public can’t come here,” Lily smiled. “You don’t normally come here. Are you hiding from insane fans? I hear they’re visiting a poet.” Before Meiko could answer, a voice called out for her.</p>
<p>“Miss Meiko! Look what I made!”</p>
<p>“Oh, Gumi,” Meiko turned and behind her, and in view of Sora and Lily, Gumi stood sweetly as she held up her successfully made flower crown. “It’s pretty,” she said while coming closer to her.</p>
<p>“I want to put this on you,” Gumi said with her biggest smile. “Can I?”</p>
<p>“Yes, of course,” Meiko as she knelt down, allowing Gumi to place a crown of flowers on her head. Behind, Sora and Lily watched, with Sora finding the child adorable while Lily pondered, feeling the little girl looked familiar.</p>
<p>“Who are the two ladies?” Gumi asked Meiko.</p>
<p>“They’re idols,” Meiko explained. “They came here to eat during their break.”</p>
<p>“Idols?” Gumi asked. </p>
<p>“Yes, they sing and make music so we can smile.”</p>
<p>“Really? Can I say hi to them?”</p>
<p>“Yes!” Sora cried out. “Nice to meet you! I’m Sora, and this is Lily!” Sora said, introducing herself and Lily to Gumi. </p>
<p>“Hi!” Gumi cheered as she ran towards them. “I’m Gumi!” </p>
<p>‘Gumi,’ Lily thought and she realized it.</p>
<p>“Meiko! Gumi” Yuuma called for them, and Gumi ran back, running towards her father!”</p>
<p>“Papa!” Gumi called out to him. “Say hi to the idols!” She said while standing in front of him. She pointed towards Sora and Lily as she spoke. </p>
<p>“Idols?” Yuuma asked, and when he looked up, his eyes widened in recognition. “Oh, Lily!”</p>
<p>“Oh!? Hi!” Lily waved sheepishly, remembering him, and both Sora and Meiko turned back and forth between Yuuma and Lily.</p>
<p>“Do you know the kid’s father?” Sora asked in amazement.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Lily admitted.</p>
<p>“I didn’t think I’d see you,” Yuuma confessed and he picked up Gumi. “I need to get going though. I’ll tell your parents I saw you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, that’d be good,” Lily smiled weakly while suppressing her thoughts. Yuuma smiled as he turned away, heading towards the building as Gumi waved goodbye to them. Meiko nodded at the two idols and followed.</p>
<p>“Did you have a relationship with him?” Sora smirked. “Wait… are you her mother!?”</p>
<p>“What, no!” Lily answered quickly. “She’s my sister’s kid!”</p>
<p>“Your sister?” Sora asked. “The one in Bunka?”</p>
<p>“No,” Lily said as she looked down slightly. “My other one…”</p>
<p>“Oh…” was all Sora could say as the realization hit her. </p>
<p>“She’s so big now,” Lily whispered. “She’s looking a bit like her.”</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>“Daddy, did you know her?” Gumi asked after Yuuma sat her down in a dining area, one that is kept private, only for employees and guests. “The one named Lily?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I know her,” Yuuma answered. </p>
<p>“Is she your friend?”</p>
<p>“Something like that,” Yuuma told her. He didn’t know whether to tell her yet that one of her aunts was an idol who didn’t keep contact with her family for so long. </p>
<p>“Papa, are you going to eat?” Gumi asked, and he smiled, silently pleased that she changed the subject so fast. He took a few bites out of his meal before he played with one of her pigtails.</p>
<p>“You’re getting so big, Gumi,” he sighed. “Can’t you stay small forever?”</p>
<p>“No,” Gumi told him politely. “I want to get bigger and stronger too.”</p>
<p>“Okay,” he smiled. “You’ll be in grade school soon.”</p>
<p>“Do I have to say goodbye to my classmates? Make new friends?”</p>
<p>“Some might go to the same school as you.”</p>
<p>Father and daughter continued to converse with each other, keeping one another company as Yuuma thought of how things would be if Miku was with them, once again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Sixth Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello, it's been a bit longer than expected to post the next chapter! Deeply sorry! Several personal things came up, and to be honest, I was really keeping up with the latest news, to a point where I was pushing aside all of my hobbies (except gaming). Right now, personal issues seem to calm down, and I had finished writing this a few days ago. Hope to return to regular (or semi-regular) posting.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hello Miku!</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I think you heard the news by now. I got hurt. It’s not serious, though your brother is really freaking out. I think he’s overreacting... Your parents came to see me too. I thought it was weird for them to come, but they were worried as well.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Gumi didn’t come yet, though I think they’re waiting until Sunday to take her to see me since she won’t be in school that day. I miss her. Her hair has grown so long. When I put her hair up in pigtails, she looks so much like you and I’m happy she looks a bit like you. It makes me sad, though, when she one day came to me and said she wanted short her. </i>
</p>
<p><i>I guess I have to let her do what makes her happy, but her hair… and you…</i><br/><br/>xxx</p>
<p>The fan aided her, only for a little bit, as Rin sighed and kept her attention on the magazine. Her hair tied, similar to how her boyfriend styled his hair, and her clothes hang loosely on her. It was one of those days that was proven to be too hot for her liking, but she agreed to do this as Len needed to work and Yuuma remained in the hospital.</p>
<p>“Surely, the hospital will be colder,” she thought in her head, and a sigh escaped her. Taking her attention from the magazine, she turned towards the room where a child’s smile grew wide and large. Large strands of green hair were resting on the floor beneath her, and Rin noticed Gumi’s fingers playing with her shortened strands of hair. Rin was happy to see Gumi was beyond excited for her new look.</p>
<p>It was Yuuma that Rin worried about.</p>
<p>“Because my sister always had her long hair in pigtails, Yuuma wants Gumi to mimic that hairstyle,” Len told her months ago, “but lately, Gumi would cry and complain. She says her hair gets caught on zippers or someone would sit on it. Gumi asks for short hair, but Yuuma tells her no.”</p>
<p>Rin didn’t think it was possible for Yuuma to finally allow Gumi her long awaited haircut until that day happened. Len was surprised too, but their reactions didn’t matter, for Gumi was gleeful to the point where she promised to make herself pretty when she goes to see Yuuma.</p>
<p>“Rin! Rin!”</p>
<p>She no longer referred to Rin as her older sister at this point. Rin suspected that being a year older, Gumi grew to understand how people would look at them and unintentionally create a misunderstanding. Alternatively, Rin wondered, Gumi may have told her teacher who corrected her or explained it. </p>
<p>“Look! Look!” Gumi stood in front of her, and she twirled around happily. “I love it! I love it!” She cheered as her fingers brushed through her hair, now ending at half of her neck. Rin smiled, happy to see that the six year old girl was beyond joyful. “I hope Papa likes it too.” </p>
<p>“He will,” Rin told her. ‘Or he’ll tell her he does, but will sulk inside…’</p>
<p> </p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>“How is the patient”</p>
<p>“He is fine… he won’t put down his pen though.”</p>
<p>“Hm?”</p>
<p>“Ever since his arrival, he won’t stop writing.”</p>
<p>“Dedication.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“He’s a writer. It seems he’s born to write.”</p>
<p>“I see…”</p>
<p>Yuuma never noticed the gossip about him that spread through the hospital staff. With the pencil he held, Yuuma was always writing on his paper the moment he woke up. From the beginning, a letter was written to his dearest, telling her what had occupied his mind, what he intended to do later, and what he wished to teach their daughter. Afterwards, a poem a created, followed by another one and another one. </p>
<p>This was how the days had been for him since his arrival. Later on, Len or his parents would come, and each time, they came with expressions of worry. Yuuma understood, but he wished that they were chilled.</p>
<p>It wasn’t like he died or gained massive injuries.</p>
<p>“Papa! Papa!” </p>
<p>She came, and her cheery voice brightened his mood as he saw her running towards him in the room. Rin and Len followed behind her as they closed the door, and Gumi was already next to Yuuma, looking up to him as he pet her hair.</p>
<p>“You’re still as pretty as always,” he smiled. “Did you enjoy your haircut?”</p>
<p>“I love it!” Gumi smiled. </p>
<p>“Do you miss having long hair?” He asked her.</p>
<p>“No,” she said with a happy smile. “I like it like this.”</p>
<p>“Really,” he said, and Len noticed, seeing Yuuma’s smile and realizing that he was appearing to be fine with this. After six years of having Gumi’s hair grow out to resemble Miku, Yuuma was looking as if he was accepting Gumi’s new haircut. </p>
<p>Their conversations echoed in their hospital room, and with an aura of a pleasing family, they smiled and shared their tales. It was only when Rin took Gumi out to find snacks and a restroom when Len and Yuuma were alone. Then, Len asked him.</p>
<p>“You’re really okay with Gumi’s hair being short like that?”</p>
<p>“I have to,” Yuuma answered. “She’s growing up, and… Miku would’ve wanted her to decide herself.”</p>
<p>“I see,” Len sighed, and when he turned slightly, he noticed the mess of papers lying all over the counters, and the large notebook he had given to Yuuma days ago was almost out of paper. “Did you write that much?”</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Yuuma asked, and he then saw how much he had written. “Yeah, I guess…” </p>
<p>“Yuuma,” Len sighed, remembering the past as he spoke. “I know it’s your job, but take a break. You just got in an accident.”</p>
<p>“I like to write,” Yuuma simply told him. Len remained quiet, not wanting to say anymore for he feared that if he spoke further, he’d lose control of his emotions. The last thing Len wanted or needed was for Gumi to walk in and see her two guardians in a heated conversation. </p>
<p>Gumi and Rin returned, and Gumi had conversed with Yuuma, never realizing the thick tension. Len barely spoke, and Rin took only one glance at him to realize something was off.</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>“She’s asleep,” Len sighed, closing the door behind him and heading back to the couch. They had spent long hours in the hospital, not leaving until visiting hours had ended. After the usual showers and last minute snacks, Len had succeeded in convincing Gumi to put on her pajamas and lie down, keeping her company until the child had fallen into a sweet dream. Rin sat quietly, placing her phone down as she looked up at him, seeing his eyes filled with concern.</p>
<p>“Are you thinking about Yuuma?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, of course,” he sighed. “I know he didn’t have major injuries, but he seems to not realize how worried we were. Like,” he released another sigh as he sat down next to his girlfriend. “He’s too reckless! I know the accident wasn’t his fault, but he acts like it’s not a big deal! It’s just like how he was four years ago! He could’ve died in that fire!”</p>
<p>He took multiple deep breaths, memories of Yuuma flashing into his mind as a few tears fell. Rin observed, listening intensely as he continued.</p>
<p>“I just don’t want to lose him… I already lost Miku, and Gumi already lost one parent. She can’t lose another one…”</p>
<p>His head hung low with his fingers rubbing his head. Without a second thought, Rin came closer to him, her arms entrapping him as she released a light sight. Being his friend for six years, as well as becoming his love for a year, she knew everything. She knew all about the pain he dealt with through the years, the struggle of being a second parent to Gumi while being on top of school work, coping with family friction, and trying to aide Yuuma who, while showing he cared for his child, was struggling to take care of himself.</p>
<p>Rin also knew everything about Miku, how important she was to both Len and Yuuma, and the day that happened, when Gumi was suddenly without a mother, leaving Yuuma and Len to push forward together to give her all the joy in the world.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Seventh Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It's been 20 days since I last updated? Ouch, so much for "weekly update," huh. Really sorry. I'll make sure to work harder and get my schedule in place and keep updating regularly.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hello Miku.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Every day, my bones feel better and better, my scrapes and cuts from that day appearing less obvious, the pain appearing nonexistent since that accident, yet my heart yearns for you. How I long to see you again, to have you by our side and see our little girl growing together. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Gumi has grown more curious day by day, yet her kindness continues to blossom, though she asks me so many questions. She also began to read my poems and letters to you and asked so many questions. I tell her everything she wants to know about you. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>She always asked when you were coming.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I told her you’ll come soon.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I don’t know what else to tell her... </i>
</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>“Papa,” Gumi called for him as she held up the paper he had written not too long ago. “Why did you tell Mama she’s like extreme ironing?”</p>
<p>“Do you not think so?” he asked her when he turned his attention towards her. The oven heater turned down as his hand continued to mix the food more and more. </p>
<p>“It sounds different from when you told me her hair was silk teal,” she stated. “You also wrote that she’s like a compound… inner… product space?” she spoke slowly as she tried to make sense of what she recited. “What does it mean? I don’t get it.” His smile grew as she grew more confused.</p>
<p>“Lunch is done,” he told her as he placed a bowl in front of her. </p>
<p>“You’re not insulting Mama, right?”</p>
<p>“Of course not.”</p>
<p>“It’d be sad if she came to see us and read this letter… when is she coming?”</p>
<p>“Soon, I hope.”</p>
<p>“I hope it’s soon too. Thank you for the meal!” </p>
<p>Her fingers grabbed the chopsticks next to her as she began to consume energy, while he sighed. When would she come back, he wondered. How could he tell her…</p>
<p>How to break it to a child that her mother won’t come home?</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Len dropped the mass piles of papers in front of him, seemingly uncaring that the view in front of him was a scatter of white and brown. No one could see his distress, but he sighed for the umpteenth time, trying to once again take in the fact that Gumi was growing up and asking more questions.</p>
<p>Almost all of those questions were about her mother. </p>
<p>It was inevitable. Gumi was growing up without a mother, and it became clear to Len that she noticed she was viewing herself as “odd” among her classmates. Len was willing to be upfront and tell her the truth, that Miku could not come back to them no matter how much he wanted to…</p>
<p>But the effects of that day took a toll on Yuuma, and Len noticed his intense hesitation.</p>
<p>“Len?”</p>
<p>Turning behind, he noticed her standing tall, and she looked down at him with her face showing heavy concern.</p>
<p>“Are you still troubled about the situation?”</p>
<p>“Yeah…”</p>
<p>“You need to talk to him.”</p>
<p>“Let’s go outside first,” he whispered, sighing deeply as he stood up. His fingers put order on the scattered mess of papers, and with it all neatly arranged, he guided them back to his bag. Carrying what he needed, he headed out, holding Rin’s hand as they headed back to the apartment he lived in.</p>
<p>“Len?”</p>
<p>“I know,” he sighed. “I’ll try to talk to him, but I don’t want Gumi in the house.”</p>
<p>“Make sure Gumi is told too,” Rin added. “She’s seven. She likely knows or understands it.”</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>The setting sun was the time for Gumi to go out and play in the garden next to the apartment complex she resided in. It wasn’t until this year that she began to play in that garden, and it was only because another child her age moved in. Although she was friendly, Gumi didn’t develop a friendship as close as the girl who moved into the same building. Miki, despite being more calm and quiet, was more than eager to follow Gumi around and mimic her games, and with the sun setting, the two sat happily on the grass as they pulled their plucked flowers closer to make many crowns.</p>
<p>“You live with only your mom, Miki?” Gumi asked her.</p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s just me and Mama now,” Miki answered. “My Papa is in heaven.”</p>
<p>“Heaven?” Gumi looked at her, never expecting to hear such a response.</p>
<p>“Yeah, he died in an accident when I was a baby,” Miki added. “Didn’t your mom die too?”</p>
<p>“Huh? No,” Gumi answered. “My Papa tells me she’ll come back soon.”</p>
<p>“Really?” Miki turned her eyes away from her flowers to Gumi’s wide eyes. “My Mama told me your Papa’s a widow.”</p>
<p>“Widow?” Gumi asked.</p>
<p>“It means his wife is in heaven,” Miki explained. “But you said she’s not there?”</p>
<p>“No…” Gumi no longer sounded confident, and without a second thought, she stood up, abandoning Miki as she ran towards her home. He told her she was coming back. He wouldn’t lie, so why was her friend told differently? Her thoughts grew wild, but once she stood in front of her door to her apartment, it began to make sense. </p>
<p>Her mother was absent for so long, perhaps a bit too long.</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>Len didn’t expect to return home and see the framed photo of Miku decorated entirely with flowers. He also never thought he’d see Gumi sit patiently with a flower crown developing in front of her, as well as a child helping her make more. While Rin kept behind and admired the flowers from behind, Len stepped forward, further examining the work of the two girls.</p>
<p>“Gumi? What are you doing?”</p>
<p>“Making flower crowns for Mama,” she answered. “She needs flowers in heaven.”</p>
<p>“Heaven…” Len whispered slowly, and though he didn’t know if the kids heard him, his mind was already spiralling. Did Yuuma finally talk to her? </p>
<p>“Where’s Papa?”</p>
<p>“Sleeping,” Gumi answered. </p>
<p>“Did he… talk to you?”</p>
<p>“No, he was sleeping when I came back. I asked Miki to help me decorate Mama’s photo. I think she’d want to take the flowers with her if she comes to visit.”</p>
<p>Len kept quiet, unsure of what else to say, but Rin pulled his arm away, taking him and herself away.</p>
<p>“She figured it out?” Rin asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I think?”</p>
<p>“She’s a smart child,” Rin said with a smile. “Let’s leave her alone.” </p>
<p>The two adults isolated themselves in his room, leaving the two kids to enjoy themselves and uncaring to check on Yuuma. Len sighed deeply as he sat on the bed, and Rin looked at him with a glance of care.</p>
<p>“You were really worried,” she pointed out. “But it seemed to have worked out without our involvement.”</p>
<p>“Yuuma still misses her,” he sighed. “I do too, but…”</p>
<p>“I know,” she said as she sat down next to him. “It sounded like a horrible day. Maybe one of the worst ones.”</p>
<p>“She was the sister I looked up to the most,” he told her. “Cul abandoned us the moment she could, though I don’t blame her for it. My parents had too many expectations for all of us, so she left us, and I haven’t heard from her since. Lily ran away to achieve her dream, so I was always talking to Miku instead.” He sighed again, remembering the days where she was present. “Even when my parents didn’t want to talk to her, I kept visiting her and Yuuma. My parents didn’t want me to see them, but I didn’t care…”</p>
<p>“...Len?”</p>
<p>“I’m okay,” he sighed. “Things are better now. Yuuma is famous. Gumi is growing up. My parents are relaxed… and you’re here.” His hand found hers, and they held close, their bond getting closer as they both noticed how long it had been since they first met, when they first became friends, when they fell in love, and when they got together.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Eighth Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i> Hello Miku,</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Did you get my messages? Do you hear Gumi’s messages? Gumi asks me every day if you’re happy where you’re at. I once told her I’d be happier if she was with us. Gumi would only smile at me before speaking. She said “I think Mama visits when we’re not noticing.”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Is that true? Do you visit when we don’t notice? It would be nice to see you at least once more, even if it was no longer possible…</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Anyways, Miku, your brother seems to really like that girl. He began to ask me about a ring. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I hope it’s alright with you. I gave him the ring I had given you. I don’t know Rin’s size, so I hope it fits.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Maybe you can give your support to Len. He’s your brother, after all… </i>
</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>“Papa, why did you write that?” Gumi, with her fingers gently holding the paper, asked loudly. Miki, her best friend, sat next to her and couldn’t refrain from smiling as she looked over.</p>
<p>“Write what?”</p>
<p>“You said Mama might win 16 matches if she was a sumo wrestler.”</p>
<p>“Do you not think she can win?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but not as a sumo wrestler. Mama’s too pretty for that!”</p>
<p>“I see,” he answered, standing farther in the living room as he glanced at the two young girls who chose to spend their time together by reading Yuuma’s published poems and unpublished love letters. The two girls read out loud each piece that they felt was absurd and ridiculous. </p>
<p>“You’re like an AMPA glutamine receptor,” Gumi read outloud.</p>
<p>“What does it mean?” Miki asked while looking at the poem.</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Gumi simply answered before reading the next poem.</p>
<p>“How many poems did your dad write?” Miki asked another question.</p>
<p>“Thousands,” was all Gumi could say and Yuuma smiled. It amazed him to see his child greatly absorbing the writings he had created for years. Would she be a writer too, he had often wondered. </p>
<p>Then he remembered his earlier conversation with Len, remembering that the man asked for advice, and Yuuma sighed. He remembered meeting Len when he was still rather young, a child growing into an adult world. The time really had gone by, Yuuma thought, as it came to him that Len desired to pursue the next step in his relationship with Rin.</p>
<p>A smile was pasted onto his face, as Yuuma recalled the happiest days he had with Miku. Surely, Yuuma thought, Len would be blessed with a life filled with joy, and the joy wouldn’t end the way Yuuma’s did. Even though Gumi was present and growing in his eyes, Yuuma couldn’t help but wonder what could have been if Miku was still present.</p>
<p>Len would have a happy life, he believed. Nothing should stop him from pursuing his happiness.</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>Out near the city, the two with blonde hair and blue eyes sat together, staring at the sky that began to turn a dark color. The sun was disappearing, yet their mood was unbothered. Their fingers interlace. The heat cooled down. The cicadas sang. Their smiles grew with deep affection.</p>
<p>Eight years. They knew each other for eight years now. It all began at that park, when a friendship was born, and the two, once simple high school classmates, became curious of one another. </p>
<p>“Gumi was so small back then,” Len recalled. </p>
<p>“I thought she was your sister at first,” Rin told him, “or a child you were babysitting. Though I guess I was half right with the babysitting part.” </p>
<p>“We began to talk to each other at school more after that day,” said Len. “You were becoming my best friend and it felt like you were really there for me. You really helped me when Yuuma’s home was on fire.”</p>
<p>“I wanted to help,” Rin answered. “I’ll be there for you. You know that.”</p>
<p>“And then I fell in love with you.” He remembered that day as well. He and Rin were suddenly brought together, all thanks to the innocence of a small child. His little niece, Gumi, was cupid without knowing. From that day onwards, Rin and Len would be together all the time. Every day that passed was filled with a deep passion to be together forever, though sometimes, Len had to go and check on Gumi and Yuuma. </p>
<p>“Gumi is growing up even more,” Len sighed. “Yuuma seems fine now. He’s able to take better care of himself and Gumi.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Rin answered. “You told me you were there to help him take care of her… Do you think… think it’s time to go?” Rin hesitated in answering, but she had wondered about it. Len had mentioned before to her that when he believed Yuuma was more responsible, or if Gumi had grown old enough to begin taking care of herself, Len would move on and start his own life.</p>
<p>Would she be part of that new life, she wondered.</p>
<p>“I think it’s time for me to leave soon,” he answered. “But you’ll be with me, right?” His hand had disappeared from hers briefly before returning, but Rin felt a soft, cubic shape in his grasp. She looked down and noticed it, and before she could say anything, Len brought his other hand out to open the box, leaving her in a state of shock.</p>
<p>“Len!?”</p>
<p>“Rin, when I begin my new life, will you join me?”</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>“Papa,” Gumi called out. She and Miki sat quietly on the couch, staring at the flashing colors of the television while dressed in their pajamas. The two held each other, preparing to potentially lose consciousness on the couch when Gumi spoke up. “When is Uncle Len coming home?”</p>
<p>“He’s not back yet?” Yuuma replied from the table nearby. For hours, he had resumed writing while every now and then, looking up to see the two kids keeping up on their best behavior. With Miki’s mother’s work schedule growing irregular, Yuuma found himself looking after two children, although he didn’t mind as Miki was more quiet and observant, as well as more hesitant to explore new situations, thus contrasting Gumi. Yuuma’s daughter was always asking questions and throwing herself into any situation she wanted to learn more of. </p>
<p>“No, he’s not back,” Gumi answered. “Should I go out and find him?”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>“But whyyyyyy,” Gumi began to whine, thus disrupting the peace her friend had.</p>
<p>“Gumi, I want to hear what happens,” Miki told her. “Your uncle will be home soon. He has his lady, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess Rin can look after him,” Gumi sighed. “Why doesn’t Rin live with us?”</p>
<p>“Gumi, I think Len would want to move out in the future,” Yuuma said to her. Hearing him, Gumi sprung upwards, unintentionally pushing Miki away as Gumi sat up and turned around, looking at her father.</p>
<p>“What do you mean!? Moving out!?”</p>
<p>“He’ll want to marry Rin,” Yuuma explained to her. “Afterwards, they will have a child of their own.”</p>
<p>“But he was with us all the time when I was born to you and Mama,” Gumi answered, and she paused when she noticed a change in his face. “Papa?”</p>
<p>“Gumi, that…”</p>
<p>“We’re home!” Len cried out and Rin followed, thus Yuuma’s smile went back quickly while briefly ignoring Gumi. </p>
<p>“How did it go?” Yuuma asked as he stood from the table. Gumi turned to see them, and she noticed the biggest smiles on their faces.</p>
<p>“We’re getting married,” Len announced, and Yuuma embraced them while Gumi found herself forcing a smile. Yes, she was happy, but the idea of her uncle leaving her began to consume her mind. </p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>“Gumi?” Miki’s voice cried out softly. “Are you awake still?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” she answered from her bed, and she moved slightly, glancing on the floor next to her and seeing Miki’s face in the dark.</p>
<p>“Does it worry you?” Miki asked. “Are you worried Len will move out?”</p>
<p>“... yeah,” she answered honestly. </p>
<p>“My mother told me there’s a bright side to every situation,” Miki answered. “I think on the bright side, he’s still your uncle, and he’ll want you to visit him.”</p>
<p>“Yeah… you’re right, yet…”</p>
<p>“Are you still sad?”</p>
<p>“Hm…”</p>
<p>“Maybe he won’t move out right away,” Miki continued to speak. “I think a wedding takes a long time to plan. My mother told me it took her and my father two years to plan their wedding.”</p>
<p>“So he’ll still be with me for another two years,” Gumi smiled a bit, though Miki wouldn’t notice. </p>
<p>‘Although I don’t want him to go,’ Gumi thought as she slowly fell asleep. ‘Mama… Mama? I don’t want him to move out, ever…’</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I think, if you know the song, what comes next will be expected, and if you don't know the song, hmmm, I think it's up to you on if you want to hear it or not. I personally recommend it. I love the song so much. I believe I did better in updating this time, it's been less than two weeks. I'll aim to be even better for next week.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Ninth Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hello Miku.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Soon, your brother will be getting married, and Len has been smiling so much. As the man closest to him, I have been helping him as much as I could, although I’d much rather write about the struggle than actually be part of the struggle. I know your parents are excited, and it pleases me that they are supportive this time, knowing you and I couldn’t get that support, so we eloped. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Do you remember?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>We married privately, and our love that night created our special girl. Gumi is now so big, though she does whatever she can to keep her hair short. I had hoped she would grow it out so we can make a cute style with long hair for the special day. Oh well…</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Your sister, Lily, had messaged me, telling me she will take time off work to attend the special day. Cul though… it’s been ten years now since I last heard of her, and your parents still don’t know how to reach her. It would be nice to see her again.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>For now, I’ll do what I can to make sure the day will come smoothly. </i>
</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>Gumi and Miki sat quietly, witnessing Rin in front of them as she put on yet another white gown. Many dresses were tried on, and each time, Gumi and Miki gave their opinions alongside Rin’s mother. The two young girls didn’t think they’d come, but Rin felt it’d be a new experience for them so they would know what it would be like to go through finding a wedding gown as an engaged adult. </p>
<p>“It looks fine?” Rin wondered, unaware she was speaking to herself loudly.</p>
<p>“I think it looks lovely,” Rin’s mother spoke up.</p>
<p>“Maybe she can do better?” Another woman, a friend of Rin’s, said.</p>
<p>“Can Rin breathe?”</p>
<p>“I’m fine,” Rin answered. </p>
<p>“Why can’t she buy every dress?” Gumi asked Miki. The two sat further away from the adults so they were unable to hear their chatter. </p>
<p>“They’re expensive,” Miki answered. “My Mama told me when she married my Papa, she spent a long time looking for the dress she loved best. She said it was the dress she felt best connected with, and one she knew my Papa would love.” </p>
<p>“I wonder if my Mama had a wedding dress,” Gumi said. “Papa never told me about his wedding with Mama.”</p>
<p>“Ask him. Maybe he’ll tell you. Or your uncle too, I’m sure he was there when they got married.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I can ask,” Gumi replied as she nodded off. Her feelings remained mixed for the past year. Yes, Rin can be her aunt, and she was excited as Rin had been present for most of her life. However, it meant Len would move out, and Gumi wasn’t sure if she was ready for that change. She understood Len moved in to help Yuuma take care of Gumi when Miku suddenly left, but with Gumi being much older, she technically didn’t need that care anymore.</p>
<p>But Gumi wasn’t sure how she could say goodbye yet.</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>“Yuuma, did you clean here?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Len, it’s fine. It’s all fine,” he answered, never looking up from his paper.</p>
<p>“Are you working?” Len asked from the living room, holding a few books as he tried to find an area to place. </p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“You’re really going to work when Lily is coming over?” Len sighed. “You really can’t go a day without writing, can you?”</p>
<p>“It’s fine, I’ll be done before Lily gets here,” Yuuma answered. </p>
<p>“That’s not it,” Len sighed, but he wasn’t going to speak on it anymore. He continued to place the books as he analyzed the room. Everything looked clean. The dust and dirt were all gone. He sighed again. He knew he didn’t need to be nervous. It was just one of his older sisters, but he and Lily had not seen each other for about ten years. The girl ran away and became an idol, applying behind their parents’ back, and with her contract, it wasn’t possible for Len to keep contact properly. He only knew Yuuma ran into her by accident that one day, and she seemed fine. </p>
<p>Being much older and dedicating herself to her career for so long, Lily finally was able to take time off when Len was able to contact her at a fanmeet, telling her in person that he was getting married and leaving behind a letter with more information. Len was beyond excited to see a postcard delivered from her, stating she can visit and she would take off from her job to see him get married. </p>
<p>The bell rang, and he knew it was her. He opened the door and his sister stepped him. By then, Yuuma put down his pen, releasing a sigh as he finished his letter.</p>
<p>"Oh, Yuuma," Len remembered as Lily stepped in. "Can you pick up something for me? I know I could go, but-"</p>
<p>"Yeah, I'll go," Yuuma answered. He understood. Len wanted to reconnect with his sister. Going out wasn't wise as anyone could recognize Lily and harass her. Yuuma accepted the paper Len held out, and the desired item was written down. He stepped out as Len and Lily spoke comfortably. </p>
<p>Yuuma thought he’d be fine that day. So did Len. They didn’t know what would have happened until it was too late.</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>They all came back to the apartment, and Gumi stood still when she saw Lily in her own home. Gumi was told by both Len and Yuuma who Lily was to her, and for a long while, Gumi would listen to the songs where Lily provided her vocals, both solo songs and group performances. Gumi didn’t care for idols, but she ended up developing a soft spot for Lily. She still remembered the day she met her by accident.</p>
<p>“Hello, Auntie Lily,” Gumi greeted. Miki stayed behind, helping Rin hold her belongings as Rin took off her shoes. “Do you remember me?” Gumi asked.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I’m amazed you remember that day,” Lily smiled. “We didn’t get to talk much.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t know you were my aunt until Uncle Len told me,” Gumi mentioned. “You were Mama’s sister?”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Lily answered with a smile, but Gumi noticed the grin wasn’t necessarily a happy grin. Although, Gumi noticed most of Lily’s smiles on television were forced. </p>
<p>“You’re here because Uncle Len is getting married? How were you able to do that?” Gumi began to ask lots of questions while Len gave his attention to Rin.</p>
<p>“How was shopping?” He asked her.</p>
<p>“It was a lot of work, but things are settled now,” Rin answered. “I think the young girls learned from this.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Miki said while standing near them. “It’s too much work to go wedding shopping.”<br/>“Is it?” Len laughed. “I’ll ask Gumi later.” </p>
<p>“Uncle, where’s Papa?” Gumi called out after conversing with Lily for a few seconds.</p>
<p>“He went to get something. He’ll be back soon,” Len answered. The family gathered and conversed some more. Lily became acquainted with Rin, and Gumi and Miki asked questions about anything regarding Lily’s career. The atmosphere remained peaceful as a few hours passed.</p>
<p>“Uncle, what is Papa doing?” Gumi asked. Her father, Yuuma, didn’t return yet. </p>
<p>“I’m sure he’s held up in traffic. He’ll be fine,” he told her. Len hoped what he said was true. Yuuma has been out for a bit too long now. It couldn’t be another accident, he thought. An incident like that wouldn’t happen again…</p>
<p>Could it?</p>
<p>…<br/>…<br/>…</p>
<p>“Hello?”</p>
<p>Len answered the ringing phone and spoke calmly. Rin and Lily sat quietly at the table as they looked through a phone, viewing videos of Lily’s outtakes. Miki and Gumi sat in the living room as they played with Gumi’s dolls. </p>
<p>“What… is he okay?”</p>
<p>All four ladies ceased their activities and looked up towards Len. His expression changed as he took in the news he was given.</p>
<p>“I see. I’ll head over there immediately.” He placed down the phone as he moved towards the door. “I need to go to the hospital.”</p>
<p>“Why?” Rin asked as she stood up. “Is everything okay?”</p>
<p>“There was an accident,” Len explained. “Yuuma is there.”</p>
<p>“What? Papa!?”</p>
<p>Gumi rushed towards him and began to tug on Len’s shirt.</p>
<p>“Lemme go too!”</p>
<p>“Gumi-”</p>
<p>“I want to see Papa! Lemme go see him!”</p>
<p>“Well… okay,” Len sighed in defeat as he wasn’t willing to argue with his niece. Gumi grabbed her shoes to put on, and left before Len could put his on.</p>
<p>“Let’s go!” Gumi complained. “We need to see if he’s okay!”</p>
<p>“I’m coming,” Len sighed. However, he knew something was wrong, and the doctor on the call felt hesitant to share the news through the call.</p>
<p>“He’s okay, but… it’d be best to tell you in person.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I normally don't write my current fics on the weekend and instead write other things like plotlines I want to try and such, but I didn't finish this, and I decided I wanted to finish this instead for today (Saturday). Even though I wrote a plotline for this, I'm not 100% following it to be honest, like I'm following it loosely, and I realize I wanted to build up on the accident instead of just going straight to the accident. Will Yuuma be okay, I wonder. I feel if we know the song, then the answer is obvious, and if not... up to you if you want to hear the song.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Ninth Year Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>… Hello? Miku? Miku, are you Miku?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I dreamed that you and I were together, I had given you a ring, and we kissed. We fell in love, I think. I know… I know I love you.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I love you so much.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Where are you? Why are you not here with me?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I’m alone. I don’t know what this is. Why am I in a white bed? What am I even? What is my name? </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Only you is in my heart. All I can recall is you. Where are you, Miku? Won’t you come to me? Could you stay by my side?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I’m all alone…</i>
</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>“A blow to the head?” Len asked. “How bad is it?”</p>
<p>“We examined him when he woke up, but he only asked for ‘Miku.’ All he can recall is ‘Miku,’” the doctor explained in an apologetic tone. “He doesn’t remember anything else.”</p>
<p>“It can’t be!” Len cried out, and Gumi, who sat nearby, allowed every word to sink in as her eyes grew wider. It couldn’t be, she thought.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. “We’ll do our best, but for now, we’ll send him home after we do a few more tests. </p>
<p>“Is there really no way to save him?” Len asked in defeat, and he hung his head low when the doctor apologized once more. He was to get married, and now his brother-in-law needed him again. He knew right away that Gumi, who clearly heard everything, would not be able to take care of her own father by herself, especially when she’s still a child. He turned and glanced back at his niece. Gumi remained silent, but Len wasn’t sure how else she’d react. Cry? Scream it’s a lie? Denial? Gumi sat quietly, not uttering a sound, and he knew she was registering everything. </p>
<p>“I’m going to call home, okay?” Len said to her. “Just sit here,” he added as he left to make a phone call. Gumi looked up the moment he was out of her sight, and she stared at the door near her. Behind that door was where her Papa was resting. Struggling to believe he’d really forget everything, including his daughter, Gumi stood up quietly and went towards the door, opening it slowly as she entered the dark room by herself. </p>
<p>Almost immediately, she noticed him sitting on his bed in the darkness. He seemed to be in a daze as he never turned to look at Gumi. She stepped forward slowly, getting closer to him before she called out to him.</p>
<p>“Papa?”</p>
<p>“Huh?” he turned and finally noticed her. “Papa?”</p>
<p>“Papa? Do you remember me?” Gumi asked suddenly, and with the dim lighting beginning to enter the room, she was able to see his face. His expressions showed only confusion, leaving her to break even more.</p>
<p>“Who are you?”</p>
<p>“Papa, it’s me,” Gumi spoke, trying her best to not sound desperate. “It’s Gumi!”</p>
<p>“Gumi…” he said, but there was no sense of familiarity in his voice. “Am I your Papa?”</p>
<p>“Papa…”</p>
<p>“Is Miku your mother?” he asked. “I want to see her.”</p>
<p>“You… you remember Mama?” Gumi felt her body growing numb. He couldn’t remember his daughter, who had spent every day with him through her life, yet he remembered Miku, who was gone and taken from them since Gumi was a baby. </p>
<p>“Miku is your Mama?” He asked. “So you’re…” and the door opened before he finished speaking.</p>
<p>“Oh, little miss,” the doctor began to speak. “I need to talk to him for a few minutes. Please wait outside.”</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Gumi answered, her voice feeling weaker. The reality came crashing down on her. Just this morning, Gumi had hugged her father before she went out to play and shop with Rin. That was all taken away from her as he couldn’t remember anything…</p>
<p>Anything except Miku.</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>“Papa, are you comfortable?” Gumi poked her head into his bedroom and gently asked him. The weeks had passed and summer was near its end. Nothing had changed apart from him coming back to their apartment. Every day, he asked for Miku, and Gumi sat quietly as Len told him Miku was “away.” Just “away.” </p>
<p>“Yeah, I believe so,” he answered. “Do you know where Mi-... your mother is?”</p>
<p>“No,” Gumi said before closing the door. No matter how many times she tried to talk to him, the relationship they had was no longer present. Each moment they shared together was awkward, with Yuuma asking only for Miku as well as him asking how Miku was never present for most of Gumi’s life if she was his and Miku’s daughter. It had baffled him that Gumi had no memory of him, as he felt Miku was not the type to suddenly leave her family before Gumi could form a memory.</p>
<p>“Is he fine?” Len asked from the kitchen as Gumi came closer.</p>
<p>“Why can’t we tell him the truth?” Gumi asked.</p>
<p>“Because it’ll hurt him,” he said. “He doesn’t remember anything. He doesn’t know us, his family, at all. He only remembers her, and it’s the only thing comforting him. I much rather he be comfortable then drop the ball on him so quickly.”</p>
<p>“Fine,” she hissed as she sat on the table. Len came towards her with a plate of rice crackers. </p>
<p>“Cheer up,” he said to her. “The doctors say his amnesia can come back at any point. It may even come back tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“That’s what you said last week, and Papa is still the same,” Gumi replied in a gloomy tone. “I hate this.”</p>
<p>“I hate this too,” he told her. “Also, Gumi, I decided to call the wedding off until this gets better.”</p>
<p>“What?” </p>
<p>Gumi looked up, unable to believe she heard him say his marriage with Rin was put on hold.</p>
<p>“Rin and I talked about it,” he sighed as he looked down. “We spent a lot of money preparing, but we agreed it didn’t feel like to get married when Yuuma is in this state, so we’re putting it on hold until we know for sure that he goes back to normal.”</p>
<p>“I see,” Gumi said as she glanced back on her snacks. “Will you get married when Papa gets better?”</p>
<p>“Yes”</p>
<p>“Uncle?”</p>
<p>“Yes, Gumi?”</p>
<p>“What if,” Gumi struggled at first to tell him, “What… What if Papa doesn’t get his memory back? Will you end up not marrying her?”</p>
<p>“...”</p>
<p>She looked at him and noticed his expression went stiff, and she knew he was thinking deeply over it.</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” was all he could say to her. “We’ll see what happened.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Tenth to Eleventh Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry for delaying the update of this. I got sick suddenly with cramps laced with over-dramaticness, but it's okay. I'm okay now, so here's the next chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Miku? Miku?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Where are you? I can’t seem to remember anything except my time and love for you, yet I found out it was all ten years ago,and all I have left of you is a young girl who was born from our love. I was shocked to learn you were absent from her life, and seeing her face show despair when I mention you, I stopped asking for you. I tried to instead ask about her.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>It was awkward at first and I felt bad. It seemed before my memories went away, Gumi and I had a life together, and while it saddened me to forget spending my time with our child, I was startled to learn you were absent as well. Where are you, Miku? Why did you leave us? I don’t understand. Didn’t we promise to be together forever and have a future together? What had happened that you ended up missing? Not present in our child’s life? </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Oh Miku…</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Your brother, Len… he’s so distant. When I went to spend a bit of time with Gumi, she expressed her worry for Len. She confessed to me one day. She said she wished for a miracle, for Len to not move out for when he marries, and then my memories disappeared. She felt it was her fault. I told her she had nothing to do with this, but Len was to be married? He hasn’t married her yet… I don’t even know who the lady is. I have not seen her, or I guess, I haven’t seen her after my memories were wiped. Gumi told me they called it off and it has been so long.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Will things be okay…?</i>
</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>“Len, what’s on your mind?” Lily asked him after serving cold juice to him. The summer heat remained outside as Lily kept her apartment cool. Len, with so much in his mind, did the last thing he expected to do. After everything that went down for the past two years, Lily had given him her address if he needed to vent frustrations. Having gained more freedom in her career, Lily was finally able to live close to her family, yet she still kept her idol life separate, and she no longer performed in the group she had been with for years. Knowing her little brother was in deep distress, Lily did all she could to aid, even if all she could do was listen.</p>
<p>“I wonder if I made the right choice,” Len admitted as he looked back on what had happened long ago, the final memories of him and Rin echoing in his mind.</p>
<p>“Len,” Rin had asked him. “Will we… our marriage? Will it…”</p>
<p>“I’m sorry,” he said. The chills seemed to have locked his emotions as he knew he needed to do this. It wasn’t fair for Rin, to continue stringing her hopes up for what could have happened, what could have been the greatest day of their lives had the accident never happened. Having spent so much of this time checking on Yuuma and desperately wishing for improvements, only for it all to remain stable for months and months, Len was forced to accept the reality: Yuuma may remain this way for years, and Len couldn’t bring himself to continue his life, feeling it was unfair for Yuuma to remain a lost puppy and never knowing who he was and what a life he had. At the same time, it wasn’t fair for Rin to remain at the side, left hanging on to what little hope Len had left.</p>
<p>“It can’t keep going like this,” Len continued.</p>
<p>“If it’s about Yuuma, I can keep waiting,” Rin tried to say, but Len knew from the tone of her voice, that the idea of waiting was killing her, yet she would do it.</p>
<p>It wasn’t fair, Len believed. Rin deserved to have someone treat her like a queen, and for months, Len couldn’t do it, and he believed he was no longer the choice for her.</p>
<p>“Rin, you deserve everything,” he told her. “And I can’t provide that joy for you anymore. So…”<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.</p>
<p>“You still miss her,” Lily said, snapping him back to reality. </p>
<p>“Yeah…”</p>
<p>“I didn’t tell anyone this,” Lily began to tell him. “Before I ran away and achieved my dream of being an idol, I had a boyfriend.”</p>
<p>“What?” Len looked up, puzzled at first because he couldn’t remember seeing Lily dating openly.</p>
<p>“I hid my relationship,” Lily confessed. “After seeing the way our parents spoke coldly about Yuuma and constantly yelling at Miku for always spending time with him, I felt I couldn’t show them my boyfriend. Kiyo and I would instead spend time at his home.”</p>
<p>“Kiyo?”</p>
<p>“His name was Kiyoteru. We were classmates, and then we fell in love,” Lily began to explain. “Actually, he was the reason I became an idol. He knew it was my dream, so he helped me with everything,” she said with a smile, only to sigh as she continued to reflect on her life. “I didn’t realize until that day came that I was to not be dating anyone.”</p>
<p>“Not dating?” Len asked. “You weren’t allowed to date?” She shook her head.</p>
<p>“If I was dating, I wouldn’t be allowed to debut. I talked to him, and he let me go,” she revealed. “He told me to reach my dream, so I did, and even though I was so happy to be able to sing… I sometimes couldn’t help but wonder what my life would have been if I stayed in school and stayed with Kiyo.”</p>
<p>“Do you know how he’s doing right now?” Len asked.</p>
<p>“He got married,” she told him. “Years ago, he wrote a letter to me, feeling bad because he was beginning to like another girl. I met up with him privately… I told him to go after her because I couldn’t stop my life,” she sighed. “I couldn’t stop my career.” She sipped from her cup. “It’s hard, Len. It’s so easy to say ‘You’ll find someone better,’ but for me? I had a contract with my job, and the dating ban had just expired, but by then, I’m already too old.”</p>
<p>“Lily,” Len sighed before finishing his drink. “You were still happy, I feel. You were able to achieve your dream. Miku didn’t even get the chance to achieve hers, and Cul…” he trailed off as he remembered her. “She’s still with you?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, we’re fine,” Lily said, though her tone changed a bit. “We’re getting along a bit oddly, but we’re okay.”</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>Two years had gone on since Yuuma’s accident, and each day that went on, Len drowned himself in his job. Each trip of taking Yuuma to the hospital for check-ups grew more painful as no change was made. The distance between him and Rin had grown larger, to a point where he let her go, with the belief that she deserved better. He came home after seeing Liy, and he was met with food well prepared and ready on the table for him. A young girl with reddish-pink hair was cleaning the table as he took his shoes off.</p>
<p>“Miki,” he called out. “Did you cook again?” Several months ago, Miki began to stay over longer than usual, and she would leave out meals for Len to eat when he came home, knowing he was staying out later than usual.</p>
<p>“I want to make sure you eat,” Miki, now a preteen, replied as she finished cleaning off a dish on the sink. “My mother is working overnight again.”</p>
<p>“I see,” was all he could say. Her mother’s new work schedule was mainly why Miki stayed over for so long. Len didn’t mind, since he’d rather Miki be with someone than stay home all alone overnight. </p>
<p>“Also, I don’t know what to do with Mr. Yuuma’s letters,” Miki admitted. She had placed the clean plate down and grabbed the neatly folded papers that lied on the table across from Len’s plate of food. “Gumi told me to throw it all away, but I wasn’t sure if I should,” Miki continued. “Mr. Yuuma has been writing to her every day, hasn’t he…”</p>
<p>“I see,” Len said as he reached out, allowing Miki to hand him the letters. “I used to be critical of him writing so much,” he admitted. “Did Gumi tell you? Years ago, Yuuma was so busy writing he forgot he was cooking, and so the house burned down.”</p>
<p>“I recall something like that,” Miki said. </p>
<p>“He was always writing, and it was to a point where he lost track of time,” Len sighed. “I wanted him to be responsible, but… with everything that happened, I just tell him to keep writing now,” he confessed. “He only remembers a little bit, and he’s calm only when he writes now.”</p>
<p>“I see,” Miki replied. For the past two years, Miki had barely ever seen Yuuma, and she didn’t try to either. Gumi told her nothing had changed.</p>
<p>Also for the past two years, Miki noticed Gumi’s behavior and attitude changing, and she wondered if Len noticed anything. </p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>Having finally gotten time off from work, Len took the opportunity to take Gumi to the park, the same park where Rin had met her for the first time, and Len sat quietly, looking at his niece who sat quietly on the grass. He had thought she’d play in the area where other older kids resided in, but instead, she sat quietly and never left her attention from her DS. He wasn’t going to force her to do anything she didn’t care for, but Len had thought she’d play and befriended others like she used to or attempted to start any conversation.</p>
<p>Seeing her keep her attention on her game, as well as noticing she not once ever looked up and checked her surroundings, Len realized that Gumi wasn’t behaving the same anymore. Perhaps the circumstances were too much for her to bear, and he didn’t realize it until now, finally seeing it for himself. He knew he didn’t spend much time with her and he decided to do so, believing it’d be like the old days. He realized it now, things weren’t the same anymore. </p>
<p>The walk to the park and back home further proved to him that Gumi became more quiet, more socially withdrawn, and no longer attempting to find joy in even the simplest things. His attempts of conversing with her were met with mediocre results. Every answer she replied was kept short and quiet. Eye contact was avoided. The cheery smile she had was kept hidden.</p>
<p>They returned home and, with Miki spending a day in her own apartment, Len was left to cook lunch. Through his concentration on cooking, Len continued to reflect on everything. It still was a struggle for him to accept that one accident, one minor accident, changed everything. Yuuma, Gumi, Rin… everything was different, and him being the adult in the house, he needed to take responsibility for it, yet it was all too difficult for him to cope with.</p>
<p>Yet he didn’t want others to be burdened, so he had kept himself closed off, although he sometimes went to Lily. Now Rin wasn’t with him, and Gumi had closed off as well.</p>
<p>When lunch was made, Len had entered Gumi’s room when she didn’t answer his calls. He noticed her fast asleep on the bed, and not wishing to wake her, he had turned to leave, but he noticed the broken shards of glass on the floor. Growing curious, he looked closer, and his eyes registered the photo, one of him, Yuuma, Rin, and Gumi together, underneath the pieces of glass and a broken frame. </p>
<p>What a happy family they used to be, he had thought.</p>
<p>He left it all alone and left, and across the hall, he opened the door. Yuuma sat quietly, his hand holding a pencil as he wrote on a paper in front of him.</p>
<p>“Yuuma,” Len called out. “I made some lunch if you want something to eat.”</p>
<p>“Oh…,” Yuuma looked up and glanced at Len. “Thank you.” The eyes that used to be expressive and full of life were filled with desperation, a yearning for something he didn’t know he’ll never get. Len struggled so hard to tell him the truth, so he hid it. With Yuuma in this state, Len didn’t know if he should ever mention that truth.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I may as well make a second story, this time centering on Cul. I somehow manage to succeed in making myself want to write a story for a very minor character. Maybe for the future. Also, it wasn't intentional, but I ended up making a connection between this chapter and a previous oneshot I wrote, which reminds me I need to finish a sequel for that oneshot. I don't remember if I ever posted it on here, knowing I was on FFnet for awhile before I began to post on AO3 so not all of my writings are here. </p>
<p>So much I find myself wanting to put in a story that I originally intended to be short and simple, good job, me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. The Twelfth and Thirteenth Years</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Miku?</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>How many years has it been since I last saw you? How many has it been since we all saw you? Len would always tell me you would come soon, but when? Since I woke up with no memories except of you, four years have gone by. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Gumi is thirteen now. I last spoke to her when the summer break started. I’ve been trying my best to spend a bit of time away from writing, but Gumi seems to stay in her room all the time. When I last saw her, it was when she came home from school. It was hard to tell if she was happy school ended, sad, or just genuinely didn’t care. I asked her if she wanted to do anything for the summer. She said she wanted to stay inside. She didn’t want to go anywhere. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Since she started middle school, I’ve been trying to cook more, so Gumi can take some food with her to school. Her friend, Miki, helped me as much as she could. It seems she and Gumi are very close…</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Len, though, I don’t see him much besides from when he takes me to my scheduled appointments. I only know, based on what Gumi told me, that he would drown himself in his work. Is this normal? Is Len a workaholic? When I do go with him, he’s kept to himself. He would rarely speak, only doing so just to ask me if I am okay. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>No conversation.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>No other topic.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I try to say anything… but I feel I can only ask about you.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>He sighs when he hears your name but he tells me every time:</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>“Miku may come soon, just… keep writing to her.”</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Four years, I’ve been writing to you. I just want a reply. One response from you is what I want.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Where are you? Miku… </i>
</p>
<p>xxx</p>
<p>As Yuuma continued to write silently in his room, Gumi finally came out from her bedroom with an intent to find a snack. She went towards the kitchen and found her friend, Miki, staring at the fridge with a quiet sigh.</p>
<p>“Miki? Are you making dinner tonight?” Gumi asked.</p>
<p>“There was something I wanted to make, but there’s not enough ingredients here,” Miki answered with a small smile. “I don’t have anything in my fridge either today.”</p>
<p>“You wanted to make something…” Gumi began to think and decided that, maybe, she should go outside for a change. “Let’s go shopping for a little bit.”</p>
<p>“Really? In the pouring rain?”</p>
<p>“Yes, in the pouring rain.”</p>
<p>“I see,” Miki smiled. The two went by the door and put on their shoes. They grabbed their umbrellas and headed out, first riding the elevator down to the first floor in their building before stepping out into the rainy weather. It was only late afternoon in the summer, yet the rain showers made the girls feel as though they were traveling deep in the night with how dark the sky was and how many lights shined on the streets. </p>
<p>“Gumi,” Miki spoke up, hoping her voice could be heard through the pouring storm. “How are you feeling?”</p>
<p>“Eh,” Gumi sighed. “The same.”</p>
<p>“You've been staying in your room since middle school started,” Miki continued talking. “We’re halfway done now. You really don’t want to join a club?”</p>
<p>“I have no reason to,” Gumi admitted. “I feel I’m better off staying home all the time. I feel if I do anything else, I’d be more further away from my dad than I already am.”</p>
<p>“I see,” Miki said. “He still loves you. I can tell.”</p>
<p>“I know but… it’s not the same kind of love as before,” Gumi continued. “I don’t know. It feels like he’s loving me only because he knows I’m his daughter as well as the daughter of the one he loves. It’s different from when he had raised me all alone and seen me grow and learn so much. He forgot all of that, all because of one little car wreck… and he still can’t remember. It’s been four years…”</p>
<p>Their convo died as they reached the nearest store, and they grabbed the items they needed to make dinner for themselves and the two men who looked after them. Keeping the shopping trip short and simple, they were out as quickly as they arrived. Their trip back to their apartment, however, was halted when Gumi spotted a familiar adult in the crowd.</p>
<p>“Rin.”</p>
<p>Without a second thought, Gumi raced towards the woman, leaving Miki behind as Gumi reached out to the part of her happy childhood that slipped away from her. Rin was part of Gumi’s earliest memories, and the idea of suddenly not seeing her was hurting Gumi nearly as much as seeing Yuuma not gaining his memories back.</p>
<p>“Rin!”</p>
<p>Gumi cried out to her, the woman who could’ve been her aunt. Rin turned around and her eyes widened when she saw the young teenager. Gumi wasn’t so small anymore, but Rin could tell Gumi’s cheeriness had long faded and replaced with melancholy.</p>
<p>“Gumi? It’s been so long,” Rin tried to smile while pushing away the pain of the past. “You’re in middle school now, right?”</p>
<p>“Rin… I missed you,” Gumi admitted, and she realized her tears were threatening to spill. “I missed you.”</p>
<p>“I missed you too,” Rin smiled. “How has things been?”</p>
<p>“Well,” Gumi was about ready to struggle to find a proper response until Rin’s phone rang. </p>
<p>“Excuse me,” Rin said before she picked up the phone. “Hello dear? Yes… I’ll be there soon, okay… I love you.”</p>
<p>Gumi heard it all, and the realization was slowly hitting her.</p>
<p>“It was nice to see you,” Rin said, and Gumi noticed her smile was forced. Rin disappeared, and many thoughts flooded Rin’s mind. It seemed Rin had a new lover yet… Gumi remembered the way Rin said “I love you” to the caller.</p>
<p>It sounded nowhere as loving as the way Rin spoke to Len.</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>Len came home several hours after the girls had eaten, and he was certain Gumi and Miki were either playing a game or had fallen asleep. Len knew that this time, he was working way too long, and the clock read 2 in the morning by the time he arrived back. The dinner that was left for him most definitely lost its warmth, but he couldn’t be bothered to warm it up as he ate it. Slow bites of the cold were swallowed, and to him, it was as if he was being reminded of what his life could have been, and how much he had sacrificed for Yuuma. He could’ve abandoned him like his parents did, but Len knew how much Miku loved him and Len had decided long ago to help him, feeling Miku would’ve wanted someone to stay by his side after she suddenly left. </p>
<p>It didn’t help that Gumi was in the picture as well. She was suddenly motherless, though now, it felt like she lost her father in a way too, as his memories had yet to return. Len sighed, knowing he wasn’t seeing Gumi much anymore after she began middle school, and she was halfway done at this point. Len had wanted to spend more time with her, but after the last attempt two years before, he realized he was struggling to see or understand what she wanted, as well as he felt that maybe, Gumi would rather be with someone her age, which was why Len continued to thank Miki for her visits. </p>
<p>“Len? You’re home,” Yuuma, having left his room, came and saw Len sitting quietly. “It’s really late…”</p>
<p>“You’re not sleeping?”</p>
<p>“I tried,” Yuuma answered. “I woke up 20 minutes ago, so I started to write, thinking I’ll fall asleep that way.”</p>
<p>“I see,” Len said.</p>
<p>“It’s been several years now,” Yuuma said next, and Len knew what Yuuma meant. “Maybe, if I had it all back, I would know where she had gone.”</p>
<p>“Maybe,” was all Len could say as he took out his phone and glanced at the screen. Despite having ended it all years before, Rin remained as his photo for his lock screen. Although he felt he did the right thing in letting her go so he wouldn’t hold her back as he continued to drown himself into trying to help Yuuma, Len continued to wonder what his life could have been if things had gone differently. </p>
<p>Was she happy, Len wondered before he put his phone down.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Honestly, I'm convinced I need to write sequels or side-stories to this because I find myself wanting to write more and more, but then I feel I'd be straying away from what I intended this fic to be written as. Now it's updated, sorry for slight delay. As I said in the other fic I'm writing, I'm kind of struggling to balance out my hobbies. It seems each week is a different schedule to go through.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. The Fourteenth Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hello, Miku.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Another year has gone by. I miss you. I miss you a lot. I wish you were here now. Our daughter, Gumi, is getting bigger and bigger. I hear that in the next spring, she’ll be in high school. Although... Miku, Gumi doesn’t seem to want to say what school is like. I know with my memory being gone, it was awkward to wake up and learn I have a daughter. Even then, we tried to talk and get along. It seemed to be fine at first… but she doesn’t say much anymore. She’ll talk to only her friend. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I don’t think Gumi talks to Len much either. Is this normal teen troubles? When Lily came to visit one time, she said this behavior was normal as being a teenager is a strange time. I wish I could help out a bit more, but Lily said it was best to just let Gumi figure things out on her own. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I really don’t know what else to do. I just keep writing more and more to you, hoping I can hear a reply from you. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>It’s been so long. I want to see you again.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>When Len goes to work and Gumi goes to school, I feel alone. I’m all alone as I think of you and the love I have for you. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I love you.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I love you a lot.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I want to see you…</i>
</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>The rain poured down by time Len was released from his job. For once, he was told to leave early, though this was due to his bosses feeling Len worked far too long and deserved a break. Len wasn’t sure what to do. He would just work all day, even working extra just to keep himself occupied. At first, his extra time at work was simply to distract himself from the memory of him letting her go, but as time went on, he continued to work more and more, feeling it was all he had left. </p>
<p>He walked down the street, wondering what he could do. He knew when he got home, Yuuma would be writing letters without a care, and Gumi would stay in her bedroom and not speak much. Perhaps Miki would be present, though he knew there were days when Miki would be in her own apartment, only when her mother was free from her busy schedule. Knowing all of it, Len remained puzzled on exactly what he could do, and all that came to mind was cleaning. The letters Yuuma were writing continued to pile up, to a point where Miki would simply keep them in piles in the living room whenever she decided to clean up the apartment, knowing Gumi wouldn’t do it. When he got home lately, he noticed how the letters kept piling up, and on the rare chance he saw her, Miki explained to Len the situation. </p>
<p>Perhaps, he can find a better place for the letters. His mind cleared a bit as he figured out what to do with his newfound free time for the day, and he continued to walk while hearing the rabid footsteps of the crowds, the cars driving by, and the rain hitting his umbrella. </p>
<p>At last, he saw her again, and their eyes met. He couldn’t believe it. She seemed to not have aged a bit. Her blonde hair rested on her shoulders, and her white bow and clips were absent, leaving her hair plain. Her eyes widened as she recognized him. Len's hair had grown more and more, yet it remained in its pigtail. His eyes seemed tired, looking as if he couldn't sleep properly. </p>
<p>"Len?" Rin asked as she stepped forward. "It's been a while.” She looked at him, and she could guess he was coming out of his job as he was dressed in suit attire. </p>
<p>“Yeah, it’s been a long time,” he tried to smile, though his memory brought him back briefly, knowing the days he spent with her were among the greatest. </p>
<p>“You’re doing well?” She tried to create conversation with him.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess,” he said, though he knew it wasn’t necessarily true. He was not fine after he pushed her away. If anything, he was even more miserable, but he knew he’d be suffering and couldn’t let her suffer with him. “You’re well?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I guess,” she repeated his words, and Len noticed her hands fidgeting slightly while holding her umbrella. With a click glance, he was quick to notice the silver ring that decorated her finger.</p>
<p>“Did you…” Len began to ask, but he sighed, instead smiling and telling her, “it seems you’re doing much better.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, I think so,” Rin sighed, and Len noticed she was keeping something secret from him, but he felt he couldn’t pry into it.</p>
<p>“I need to get going,” Len told her and he began to walk away.</p>
<p>“Yeah, go ahead, I won’t keep you,” Rin said softly as Len walked ahead, but she turned and saw him leaving in the distance. Her smile dropped quickly as she found herself reaching out to him. He never noticed as his pace went ahead faster.</p>
<p>He knew he saw it. She was definitely wearing a ring. Did she have a new lover? Had she gotten married, achieving the dream he desired for her? He said it was fine to let her go. He told himself repeatedly it was best to let her leave. He was dealing with so much and wasn’t willing to put her through his pain.</p>
<p>Once he reached his home, the sight of the endless piles of letters captured his attention, and his mind blanked.</p>
<p>He never wanted to let her go. Len loved Rin so much, and he was eager to begin a life with her, but his devotion to Yuuma kept him from doing so. One accident ruined it all, and Len was not willing to leave Yuuma be. He had thought that in a few weeks, Yuuma would recover and things would be back to normal.</p>
<p>The memories just wouldn’t return. Yuuma grew more desperate, and Len couldn’t leave him be anymore. It was hurting him, hurting him so much that he couldn’t let Rin feel that pain.</p>
<p>Yet the pain of letting her go further caused him more agony. He wouldn’t open up to anyone else. Len kept his feelings bottled up, yet one look at Rin with a ring pushed him down as the papers flew all over him, all torn up and coating the room as if it was all confetti.</p>
<p>“What are you doing!?”</p>
<p>Gumi cried when she heard the commotion. Yuuma, who had fallen asleep, would not see this, and Gumi was glad as she didn’t want her father to see his letters ripped up. She came towards Len, who grew more angry and distraught as his feelings finally controlled him.</p>
<p>“Stop it! Stop it!” Gumi frantically said to her uncle.</p>
<p>“That fool keeps writing letters to her!” He yelled, taking his anger out as he thought of Yuuma. “I didn’t want to tell him, but it’s been five years now! Five years!! Enough is enough!!”</p>
<p>“Uncle! Stop!” </p>
<p>“It’s not fair! How can he live like this without a care and I had to let her go!”</p>
<p>“What?” At last, Gumi began to snap and she grabbed him. “You told her to leave! You loved her and told her to leave! And for what? Because you felt you and only you had to take care of him? To help Papa raise me when he became like this!? You’re the one who decided you and only you needed to deal with it on your own!”</p>
<p>“You were too young to take care of him!” Len snapped, and he didn’t hear the door opening as he screamed louder. “I wasn’t going to let a child take care of her amnesiac father!”</p>
<p>“You didn’t have to break up with Rin!” Gumi yelled back. “Rin was there for you all those years, and she was with me throughout my entire life! You kicking her out was as if I lost my own mother-figure!” </p>
<p>With his stress severely high, Len grabbed another letter, and Gumi, not willing to let him tear it up like he did with the others, grabbed onto it. Feeling her nearly ready to push him off, Len lost his senses. Briefly, he had lost his sense of reality, and when he came to, he found his young niece, Gumi, laying on the floor. Her face was covered by her hands, and he noticed the tear drops that were spilling from her hand. Len glanced up more and discovered Yuuma awake and looking at his child with heavy concern.</p>
<p>“What did you do?” Yuuma asked, and with no hesitation, he ran towards Gumi and helped her up. He embraced her as he looked at Len with worry. “If you had just teared up my letters, that’s one thing but,...”</p>
<p>The guilt began to build up on Len as he realized how poorly he behaved. He realized how much he had bottled up and how he lost his control so easily when the bottle held no more. <br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>When his family began to fall apart, with Cul abandoning them, Lily running away to become an idol, and Miku suddenly disappearing from his grasp with no other choice, Len began to bottle it all up. Yuuma was left to raise a child on his own, and that thought killed him. Len, knowing his parents were struggling to come to terms with it all, decided to own up and be there for Yuuma no matter what. Even if he had to worry about school, even if he had to cut off his friends, and even if he lost much needed sleep, Len did it all for Yuuma and Gumi. He did it to help Yuuma grow and find his place in the world. He did it for Gumi to grow up and look up to him as the uncle she could rely on in the future.</p>
<p>Rin came, and at first hesitant, Len was willing to bring her into his life. He welcomed her to his chaotic little family, and Rin was there. Together, they read Yuuma’s published pieces. They aided Gumi with her school work. They saw the little family growing, and realized it was time for them to be able to adapt on their own. Rin and Len could focus on themselves while still keeping in touch with Yuuma and Gumi.</p>
<p>That was the plan.</p>
<p>Not once did Len expect a little accident to destroy it all.</p>
<p>Len, knowing he had promised to stay with Yuuma when he needed him, stayed by his side for years, enduring the questions, the endless writings, and the sorrow and attacks of agony that hit them. Yuuma, without his memories, was lost and confused, and he continued to reach out for the one who can never come back. Gumi, distraught with it all, created a barrier that even Len was struggling to break through, and he gave up, thus creating his own barrier and pushing everyone out of it… including the woman he loved so much.</p>
<p>He still loved her. Years later, he wondered if he had truly made the right choices in his life. Of course, he knew that even if he kept Rin by his side, life would still remain difficult as Yuuma had proven that all he wanted to do was write and nothing else. No thought of getting a job, even though his previous works were still selling well, and Yuuma held onto the hope that if he was to keep writing, Miku would come back. At first, Len wasn’t going to reveal the harsh truth…</p>
<p>Now he wondered if he should admit it now, since it was now five years and no memory had returned. Len continued to intake the liquid in the bottle as he silently remembered all the details of his life in that time span. With what had happened earlier today, he realized he most likely turned his niece further away from him, and it only further sank his heart.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Going to be real: I am going MIA later this week, which makes me worry on if I'll get the next chapter done, so I'm late on updating, that's because I was MIA.</p>
<p>In other news, I'm really now feeling I wanna write side stories to this. We are near the end, so there's that.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. The Fifteenth Year</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hello, Miku!</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>It’s been six years now, six years since I lost my memories. Will I ever get them back? I’m not sure anymore. When it happened, at first, we all thought I’d recover, that I’ll be who I used to be.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>It’s been six years. The doctors are no longer optimistic. Len stopped caring. It feels like Gumi lost hope too. I don’t want to lose hope. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I want to remember. I want to remember all the days I had with you. I want to remember the days I spent with our daughter. I want to remember why you left, how you left me with our child and why she has no memory of you.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Please, Miku. Show me. Show me why you left. I want to remember. </i>
</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>Fifteen years ago, Len came to the park days after the incident occurred. He had carried the baby with him, and at that park, Len remembered he made a promise to her, a promise to look after her and make sure she grew up healthy and happy, how her mother imagined it. A year later, he took her back to that park, and that was when it all happened.</p>
<p>How Len wanted it back, how he wanted to go back in time and tell her, “stay with me, don’t leave me,” and instead, he was left to deal with his own pain. Yet he kept telling himself, it was better. It was better for him to take care of his problems himself and not drag her into it.</p>
<p>“Len?”</p>
<p>For so long, he sat quietly on the bench in the park, tuning out the few kids that played there, and he looked up, seeing who called his name.</p>
<p>“Rin?”</p>
<p>“Len,” she smiled. “So glad I found you again.”</p>
<p>That smile, the one that made his heart melt for so long, was healing him and reminding him of those good days. It felt it was too good to be true, yet she was really there, standing in front of him. Her eyes shined so brightly as she stared at his, and his heart was beating more and more.</p>
<p>He never stopped loving her.</p>
<p>“Rin,” he looked away briefly, and then he noticed her hand. “Last year, you were wearing…” </p>
<p>“That ring?” Rin finished for him. “I returned it.”</p>
<p>“What?” Len thought she was going to wed another man. “Did something happen?”</p>
<p>“I didn’t care about him,” Rin answered honestly.</p>
<p>“Huh, but…”</p>
<p>“Why I took the ring?” Rin guessed his reaction. “After we broke up, my family kept pressuring me to marry, saying I have to marry because I’m getting old,” she scoffed. “Please, being thirty isn’t the end of the world,” she sighed. “I had enough, so I ended the engagement, and I asked my family to stop bothering me.” </p>
<p>“I...I see,” Len smiled. “You’re just doing what won’t make you miserable,” and then he sighed. “Rin, I… I’m sorry,” he began to tell her. “I thought if I kept you by my side during all of it, it would drain on you so much, and I wasn’t willing to put you through that.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Rin smiled. “I understand, but I was willing to stay by your side through it all. You know that.”</p>
<p>“I know, but… but…” </p>
<p>“Len,” she knelt down in front of him and she held his hands. “You don’t need to keep it in all on your own,” she said to him. “It’s okay to sit, cry and lean on others.”</p>
<p>As she said it, he embraced her. The tears spilled quietly, and she held him. After five years, they came together again. Rin hugged him the same way she always did, as if that lost time never happened. Len missed it. He missed being with her. He missed holding her, embracing her, talking to her about the smallest, simplest things. He missed it all.</p>
<p>Perhaps, they can pick it up again? Resume as if those five years never happened?</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>The apartment was quiet. Gumi kept to herself in her room, and Yuuma was organizing all the letters he had written for the past six years. Gumi kept her homework pushed aside and listened to the music playing on her laptop. Yuuma could faintly hear the songs that play, and he smiled as he placed the envelopes gently in order. As he held the large stack of letters in his hands, he nodded along to the music as he faintly recalled Miku singing a familiar song. He began to imagine it, Miku holding an infant as she sang a song to the baby. Yuuma bent down and gave a gentle kiss on Miku’s forehead before leaning down to kiss the baby. </p>
<p>“I need to buy something quickly,” Miku had told him. He nodded and he was given the baby, who was only several months old. “Len may come visit later,” Miku added. “The poor boy! He’s stressing out over his high school exams, so distract him for a while.”</p>
<p>“I will,” Yuuma smiled as he saw his wife out the door…</p>
<p>That was the last time he saw her alive…<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>.<br/>Her hair. Her voice. Her smile. The day they married. The day they ran off. The day they first met. The day he met her family. The day he recognized their attitude but didn’t care for he loved her and she loved him.</p>
<p>The day Miku gave birth.</p>
<p>Those memories.</p>
<p>Memories.</p>
<p>Coming back.</p>
<p>The tears spilling… the rivers falling from his cheeks as he remembered that day, that one summer day fifteen years ago, when he held his infant daughter who slept in his arms. His tears flowed quietly as he told her, “we have to say goodbye.”</p>
<p>He didn’t want to. He never wanted to, yet he had to.</p>
<p>Had he known it would’ve happened, he would’ve told her to stay home. He would’ve told her to not go out, and just stay with him longer, to stay with him and their daughter, so at least Gumi could grow up with both parents at her side.</p>
<p>It was no use. There was nothing he could do about it.</p>
<p>Yuuma remembered it now.</p>
<p>“Hello, are you…” the memory of that phone call returning to him. “The bus crashed downtown… she’s been rushed to the hospital…”</p>
<p>The rush to the hospital filled his adrenaline. He was desperate. He came. He held her hand as she gave her last breath. He held her hand as she died in front of him.</p>
<p>Miku died fifteen years ago. </p>
<p>…</p>
<p>“Papa?”</p>
<p>Gumi knelt down in front of him, and she wasn’t sure how to react. She never saw him cry like this, and she wasn’t sure what to do.</p>
<p>“Papa?”</p>
<p>“... Gumi?” He looked up and his eyes widened as he held her. “Gumi! Gumi!”</p>
<p>“Papa?” Gumi froze slightly, unsure what was happening. “Are you…”</p>
<p>“That day, fifteen years ago-”</p>
<p>“Wha-”</p>
<p>“Had I known the bus would crash, I…”</p>
<p>Gumi realized it, and she held him back, a small smile forming on her face.</p>
<p>“I missed you, Papa.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. After 15 Years</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>Hello Miku.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>It’s been sixteen years now, since you have parted from us. I still wish you were here, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m sure you’re still looking down at us and watching over us from afar. Those days when I couldn’t remember were the scariest, but they’re over now.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Things are getting better.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Gumi is always reading my works, and I’m sure she’s taking inspiration. She’s been writing as well, though she won’t show me what she’s writing. She’s also been very lively and happy, and it makes me glad. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Len has continued on with his proposal and he’s finally going to marry. I feel bad that he had pushed it all aside just to look after me, but we’re now past it. He’s getting better. I’m feeling better. We’re all better.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>As I’m writing this letter, I know and accepted that you can’t ever reply back to me properly, but maybe, you’ll be there to see your little brother get married. </i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>I have to stop writing now, so I can go give my support to him.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>But even now, I still love you, Miku. </i>
</p>
<p>xxx </p>
<p>A joyous day occurred under that summer sun, with crowds of people coming other with smiles of glee as they expressed their thoughts to the two who became one. People danced together in the center as the music played, and the birds sang their song from the trees nearby. Yuuma sat quietly as he observed everything around him.</p>
<p>Gumi, now growing into a young lady, had the biggest smile on her face as her hands held Miki’s in their attempt of dancing properly. Their laughter was faint, yet Yuuma could hear the cheerfulness from both girls. He grinned as his mind raced back to that day, when he and Miku had danced with so much love. He began to wonder if Gumi would find a love like that, only to believe that she did find love. Her smile to her friend was far too similar to Miku’s smile when she looked at Yuuma. </p>
<p>All he needed to do was just wait for Gumi to tell him so, and he’d be set to ensure she’d have a wedding as grand as the one they’re in at that moment. He stood up as he kept it in mind, heading towards the bride and groom.</p>
<p>“Do you think,” Yuuma began to ask him, “Gumi deserves a wedding like this?”</p>
<p>“No, it needs to be better than this,” Rin answered with a smile.</p>
<p>“If it could be better, it’ll be great,” Len added. </p>
<p>“Better? This one is perfect.”</p>
<p>“Nah,” Len laughed. “Gumi needs a better one.”</p>
<p>“Also,” Yuuma continued. “I’m so sorry for all that happened the past few years.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s fine,” Len said. “It was worth the wait. I’m happy it can happen now with you remembering everything again.”</p>
<p>“It was a long, tough ride,” Rin said next. “But it was worth it. It’s been sixteen years since we first clicked. This is a fine long love story for us.”</p>
<p>“Those two are still dancing,” Len glanced at his niece. “Maybe, Rin, you should just pass your bouquet to one of them instead.”</p>
<p>“I might as well,” Rin smiled. “Is it okay to start wondering about Gumi’s love story?”</p>
<p>“Yes it is,” Yuuma answered. “And I hope she won’t be in as much pain as us.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel at some point, I'll be wanting to write a few fics relating to this one just to expand on some relationships, but otherwise, this was a fun ride. Thanks for being patient with me, and do feel free to tell me what I should improve on for the future.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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